So we Meet Yet Again
by That one Mudkip
Summary: (sequel to Secrets not Meant to be Uncovered) It's been a month since Crystal has returned to her already crazy life, and things go way off the rails when a friend confesses true love ticks off a certain someone... Now Crystal has to struggle with the consequences, even though nothing was her fault. *FINISHED*
1. A mistake

**Um... So yeah! This is the sequel to Secrets not meant to be Uncovered! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own**

Chapter 1: A mistake

I felt a hand shove my face into a brick wall. I coughed up some blood and clutched my stomach, where the first few blows went. A couple minutes ago, I was a regular 12th grader walking home, and now I'm getting beat up by someone. How did I get here? Well, it all started with a hat. My old hat.

One week ago...

I woke up and yawned. I know, soooo exciting. I looked at the mirror and rolled my eyes. I brushed my dark blue messy bangs out of my eyes. Geez, if my bangs were any longer, I'd be looking like Mal. I smiled, thinking about him. But something caught my eye. A blue hat. My blue hat that I gave to Mal. How I knew? What was it doing here?

And then the really weird stuff started to happen.

People's possessions were disappearing and were being returned broken. I was afraid it was Mal's doing, but he lived far away. So he wasn't the answer. But that wasn't the half of it.

My friends and I were walking home until I heard it- whistling. It was the same tune Mal always whistled, but it seemed like the sound was far away.

"Did you hear that?" I asked, looking around.

"Hear what?" My friend Carolyn replied, confused. I shook my head.

"Never mind," I mumbled. I probably was just imagining things...

Another time, I was staring out the window, when I saw someone leaning against a tree. His hair was covering one of his eyes, and his visible eye was looking straight at me. When he met my gaze, a smirk curled on his lips. I gasped and stepped back, my eyes widening. Mal! I blinked, and he was gone.

_I must be really wanting to see him_, I thought. I sighed. _Desperate, much?_

And then I made the mistake.

Remember Josh? My friend? Anyhoo, I saw him leaning against a wall, sad. Being a good friend and all, I decided to talk to him.

"Hey, Josh. What's wrong?" I asked. He smiled at me.

"Hi, Crystal," he said. "It's just that... A ton of my stuff got stolen and it came back... Broken."

"It'll be OK," I comforted. "I can buy you some new stuff." Josh's eyes widened.

"How?" He asked. "You don't have enough... Wait... You... Won?" The first episode of TDAS wouldn't air until September 10th, and it was still August. I nodded.

"Guess the secret's out," I said.

"I... Wow! This... I... Well... Um... I... I love you," Josh said quietly. My eyes widened in horror. Nooooooo! "Here. I've wanted to tell you this for a long time." He handed me a rose. I gasped. This was so wrong!

"Josh!" I exclaimed. "Please don't-" Before I knew it, Josh pressed his lips on mine. I was shocked. What would Mal think? I pushed Josh away and walked off, clutching the rose to my chest. I didn't want to be harsh, but I already had sold my heart to someone else. On the way home, I felt someone sock me in the gut and push me into an alley. A hand shoved my cheek against the wall, and I coughed up blood. I could feel two very strong hands pressed against my neck. _This is a sucky way to die, _I thought. I felt the person's face breathe down my neck, his bangs brushing against my cheek. Wait... Bangs? I opened my eyes.

"... Mal?"

**Wow! It's only been one chapter and things are going downhill for Crystal fast! Hope you liked it, and the story will continue soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	2. Choose

**Going on! Enjoy everyone!**

**Disclaimer: *put the obvious here***

Chapter 2: Choose

"... Mal?!" I exclaimed. What the heck was he doing here?! Last time I checked, he lived in Canada while I lived in good ol' Murica. His hand that wasn't threatening to cut off the air flow of my body reached down and snatched the rose Josh gave me from my hand.

"What's this?" Mal asked, his voice filled with anger. Geez, no greeting?

"N-Nothing!" I lied. He slapped my cheek.

"Don't lie to me!" he growled. "I saw you kissing another guy!" oh crap...

"It wasn't my fault!" I protested. His grip on my neck tightened and I struggled to breathe.

"And why should I believe that?" he asked. I couldn't answer since it was already hard enough to breathe. Finally, he dropped the tight grip on my neck and I dropped to my knees, breathing heavily. I watched him bring the rose to his face.

"Hm... Let's see... You love me, you love him, you love me, you love him..." he repeated every phrase as he plucked a petal from the rose. He tossed the empty stem away and glared at me. "You have to choose now, Crystal. So, who would it be?"

Still struggling to breathe and much less speak, I managed to shakily get out the word "You." Mal pushed me back, sending me crashing into the wall.

"Fine. I'll believe you for now. But you will pay in ways you won't like, Crystal. And if you're still that obedient little girl from before, then you would know better then tell anyone," And Mal walked off. A tear fell down my face. Not too long ago, my life was perfect. I had a million dollars, four great friends, and only one year before I left to go to college.

Now, I still had these, but my life was a living torture.

...

It's been about a week since Mal's welcome home confrontation and my head was buzzing, like I just had 5 espressos and 5 packs of m&m's. I heard a knock on my window. I turned around and opened it to only have Josh climb in.

"What the-?" I exclaimed. Josh crashed onto the ground. I helped him up and crossed my arms.

"sorry for the B&E," Josh said sheepishly. "I just needed-"

"To talk to you," I interrupted. "You see, during the show, I met someone and I fell in love with him. Now he knows you kissed me and now I'm screwed."

"Don't love him then!" Josh replied matter-of-factly. I laughed bitterly.

"You don't know how easy you make that sound," I said, my voice sharp as broken glass. "I can handle myself. You're only getting in the way."

"No you can't," Josh said. "You need me."

"Yes I can!" I cried. "Now go, before he sees me talking to you!"

"Too late," a voice said. My eyes widened and my blood ran cold.

"Oh, crap..."

**Oh noes! What's going to happen? Find out next chapter! Wow, I'm making this sound like a TV show. Anyways, hope you liked it and I'll update as soon as possible!**


	3. Way too close for comfort

**Chapter three is now up for reading! Enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own**

Chapter 3: Way too close for comfort

Mal slapped my face, this time harder. I cursed, this time in Chinese mainly because no one would know what I was saying.

"How dare you go behind my back AGAIN!" He yelled. It still wasn't my fault! He leaned in so close to me that his lips were only inches from my ear.

"You'll pay, you know that?" He growled in my ear. Josh glared at Mal.

"You monster!" he yelled, deciding to join this wonderful conversation of threats. "Don't you dare lay another finger on her!" Mal sneered at him.

"And what can you do? An insolent little brat like you can't stop me," Mal said.

"This brat has a name," Josh retorted. "Name's Josh."

"Fine, Josh," Mal said nonchalantly. "Crystal's just learning a lesson. Whatever happens to her is only her fault. She shouldn't be kissing boys behind my back."

"It wasn't my fault!" I protested. Mal got ready to pounce on me but Josh pushed him out of the way. Mal's attention changed from me to Josh.

"You little NOTHING!" Mal spat. "How dare you!" I backed away slowly until my back met the wall. I could only watch Josh get beaten up by Mal with no hesitation. He pushed Josh out of the room and slammed the door. By now, I was trembling with fear. Josh was one of the toughest guys I knew, since he had both the brains and brawn (those idiot jocks don't count as tough in my book), but Mal defeated him in no time flat. Mal turned to face me, a gruesome, twisted, smile on his face.

"Now that's he's gone, I think I'll go back to that payback," Mal said. He inched closer and closer to me, lifting me by my shirt. My eyes widened. Oh crap...

...

It was about 1AM and I couldn't sleep. I already came up with an excuse to skip out on school the next day, so I lay in bed awake. A tear fell down my cheek as I remembered the events that had happened (technically) yesterday. Mal and Josh stopping by today. Mal beating Josh up. And Mal... My thoughts trailed off, being replaced by one question: why? Why did Mal do all of this?

It wasn't the Mal I loved. Not the one who saved me from almost killing myself. Not the one who held me in his arms. Not the one that carried me that one night. Not the one I saved. Not the one I kissed.

It was the Mal I first met. The one that cut me with a knife. The one that beat me up after regaining control. The one that ridiculed my feelings and made me want to kill myself (quite literally). The one that... That... Killed my best friend Kaitlin.

Then my thoughts went to Josh. In a way, Josh and Mal were pretty similar. Both were egotistitical, as well as smart and strong (in ways good and bad), and had the weirdest ideas. Having the two biggest egos in my life clashing against each other was bound to not be good. I sighed and dozed off, waiting for my terrible life to continue.

**Geez, I have the weirdest thoughts. For those of you that didn't clue in on what Mal did, good for you. Hope you liked it, and I'll update soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	4. Apology

**New chapter! Enjoy, peeps!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 4: Apologize

I got out of bed, and I immediately felt a shooting pain in my legs and collapsed to my knees. I sighed. So yesterday unfortunately did exist.

"Pathetic," a voice said. Mal. I glared at him.

"What do you want now?" I snapped. Mal ignored my question.

"Hiding from others after such a big day?" Mal asked, a smirk curling up on his lips.

"Don't remind me," I said, my voice bitter and cold instead of light and playful.

"I thought you knew better Crystal," Mal continued on. His gaze landed on me. "But still, it does give us some alone time together." A chill went up my spine and I shuddered by those words.

"You're sick," I muttered under my breath.

"Am I?" He asked suspiciously.

"Yes," I answered. "Obviously!"

"Really? And why would you think that?" Mal asked innocently.

"Because of what you did yesterday," I responded angrily.

"So what?" Mal asked. I shook my head.

"I was right. You are a cruel sick psycho," I said to him. Mal bent down to my eye level and placed a hand under my chin.

"Yet that still doesn't change the fact that you love me," he purred. My eyes widened and I could feel a burning sensation in my cheeks. And before I knew it, I said something that someone else (like Josh for kissing me and Mal for being so unforgiving) deserved to say-

"I'm sorry," I whispered. Mal's cold glare immediately softened. _Still bipolar, huh?_

He stood up and helped me to my feet. I immediately winced from all the pain I was feeling in my legs, but this time I didn't fall to my knees.

"You see? Those two words made everything better," Mal said. Honestly, I was too busy trying to ignore all the pain to listen to him. His arms wrapped around my waist bringing me closer to his body. I leaned my head against his shoulder, and for the first time, my mind was thinking straight.

_Get out of that guy's arms! _The voice in my head screamed. _You're in the arms of a perverted murderer! Last time I checked, that's not safe!_

I frowned. I'm just now thinking that? Wow. Where have I been? I pushed myself out of Mal's arms, still frowning uneasily. Mal headed out the door.

"Bye Crystal," he said, a tinge of sadness in his voice, but masked with bitterness. "Oh, and if I ever see you even at the slightest look at Josh, you will suffer the consequences." And he left. My eyes widened and I fell to my knees.

Did Mal really want me to do that? To ditch one of my best and closest friends for him, someone who I was slowly losing love for?

**Sorry for such a lousy chapter filled with dialogue. The next chapter will be better, I promise. I didn't have any plans for this chapter, so I just made it up as I went. Anyways, hope you thought it was OK and I'll update soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	5. True Friendship

**New chapter up! It'll be better then last time! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own, but this is useless since this chapter is like only 1% Mal.**

Chapter 5: True Friendship

I can't do it! I just can't! If it were Carolyn or Em or Maddi or someone else I'd be willing to, but I can't do it with Josh! Mal just can't understand, and he wouldn't have listened anyways.

_*flashback, no specific age*_

_I was crying on the front steps. It was the day after Mike moved away, and I was bawling without any sign of stopping._

_"Um, hi," a male voice said. "Didn't you use to hang out with that girl with a walker? Kaitlin, or something? Is she OK? I haven't seen her for a year. I figured she was homeschooled."_

_"She's dead," I squeaked, my voice barely able to be heard._

_"And that weird mean goth guy we all called Mallory (A/N: XD I couldn't resist having people call Mal 'Mallory'!). Where's he?" The unknown guy asked._

_"Dead," I whispered, my voice a little more able to be heard._

_"Both?! Aw, man, your luck can't be that bad!" I finally decided to look up to see this guy. He reminded me so much of Mal! His black hair was cropped to the side, kinda like Mal's, but it wasn't covering his eye. His brown eyes curved inward like falcon beaks, and he had a smug smile on his face. He had a blue striped polo with its cuffs sticking out, and he wore jeans with black sneakers. I buried my face in my hands and cried some more. Why did everything have to remind me of Mal?!_

_"Oh! I'm so sorry!" He said. "Maybe that's why every girl I date breaks up with me..." He muttered under his breath._

_"I-It's not your fault," I said, probably the longest sentence I had said today._

_"I'm Josh," the guy said._

_"Crystal," I replied._

_"Yeah I know," Josh responded smugly. "Good ol' Mallory was always talking about you and your 'beautiful brown eyes' and your 'sexy, soft, lips'..." I got to my feet and punched this Josh guy. He had no right to talk about me and Mal like that!_

_"Are you just another misery life has sent me to ridicule me?!" I yelled angrily._

_"Man, a girl's gonna hate me before I even date her!" He mumbled, rubbing his cheek. I smiled, then giggled, then burst out laughing._

_"What?" Josh asked, confused. _

_"What you said was funny," I said. "Isn't it OK that I have a sense of humor?"_

_"Meh. I guess so," He said with a shrug. "Wanna come to my place? I just got some video games I wanna try out with someone. That OK?"_

_I nodded eagerly. "Yes!"_

_..._

_"Beat ya!" I boasted._

_"How are you so good at this?! I've been playing forever!" Josh cried in disbelief._

_"It turns out that Super Smash Bros Brawl is a great anti-depressant," I admitted, thinking of all the times I played when I got sad (which was ALOT)._

_"I would totally respect you!" A mischievous smile curled up on Josh's lips. "...If you can get 1st in the 32 person tourney I've planned!"_

_"Deal!" I said. For the first time in a while, I was actually happy._

_..._

_One month later..._

_"Pit! Pit! Pit!" Everyone cheered. Apparently everyone calls me Pit because I always choose Pit to battle with._

_"All troops, MOVE OUT!" I yelled, using my final smash to beat Josh in the final round._

_"YEAH!" Everyone cried._

_"Dayum Pit, you some kinda Goddess! We should call ya Palutena!" Josh said. I wiped the sweat off my forehead._

_"Pit's good enough," I said, exhausted. Some people placed a crown on my head and gave me a trophy._

_"Congrats, Pit!" They said. I beamed. I had found happiness. No one could take that away now._

_..._

_"Look there's one," Josh said, pointing to a shooting star. "Make a wish." _

_After a second, Josh asked, "Watcha wish for, Pit?"_

_"If I tell you, it won't come true," I said, my voice distant._

_"... You want Mal to come back don't you?" He asked. I nodded. _

_"You said he was dead."_

_"It doesn't hurt to wish for it." My voice was calm, not angry._

_"It's OK, Pit. I've got your back."_

_"Thank you, Josh. You're a friend no one could ever take away."_

_..._

_"Oh, geez. I'm so nervous!"_

_"It'll be OK. We'll do great for this. Trust me!"_

_"You always say that."_

_"Is it not true?"_

_"Ah, well. Let's start."_

_..._

_"We did it, Pit! He's coming!"_

_"Yeah! High five!"_

_We hugged, until I noticed everyone was looking at us. _

_"You guys are so cute together!" A girl gushed. We looked at each other. The thought of dating Josh never crossed my mind._

_"We're not dating," we said in unison._

_"Well you should be," the girl said. "Later!"_

_"We're not dating, Crystal, right?"_

_"Yep."_

_*end flashback*_

And now the question remains- Josh or Mal?

I got up to my feet and headed towards the TV, and starting playing Super Smash Bros Brawl. Maybe that would clear my mind a little.

**So! Josh or Mal? Hope you liked it, and the next chapter will be up soon!"**

**-Mudkip**


	6. Conversation Part 1

**New chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 6: Conversation Part 1

I was back in school, and Josh kept bugging me, asking me what was wrong. Remembering Mal's words, I pushed him away. After school, I was alone on the way home, since my other friends had plans. Sometime along the way, Josh blocked my way. I stared at the ground.

"Crystal, tell me what's wrong!" He demanded.

"Nothing," I muttered, not looking at Josh. He grabbed my shoulders so I would look at him.

"Tell me, Pit!" He barked, using the name he hasn't used in forever. He's acting so much like Mal! That's not good. A tear fell down my cheek. "What did he do to you?

I took a shaky breath and told him. "Well, you see..."

_*flashback, a couple days ago*_

"Please don't..." I squeaked. Mal dropped the grip on my shirt.

"You're right. I'm being too unfair," Mal said.

"Really?" I asked, trying not to sound excited.

"I will not hesitate to hurt your fragile little body. Got that?" he growled. "Unless, of course, you do everything I say when I say it." I nodded slowly. He smirked.

"That's a good girl," he purred. "For now, you just need to keep your smart mouth shut. Better for people to think I beat you to a pulp then know I gave you mercy."

"There's no proof. Why would they think that?" I challenged. Mal glared at me.

"You're right," he said. "I should leave a little something to prove it." Before he left, he badly bruised my legs, making my legs sore. Me and my big mouth...

"This technically counts as beating me up..." I mutter, wincing.

*_end flashback*_

"Oh..." Josh said. "Pit, I'm so sorry."

"I'm probably going to get some serious damage now that I've told you," I admitted sadly. Josh wrapped his arms around me and I blushed.

"It's OK, Pit," he comforted. "I've got your back. I won't let Mal lay a finger on you."

"If only that were true..." I mumbled. We walked home together and when we got to my house, Josh waved and left.

"Bye, Crystal," he said. "I love you."

I waved back and didn't say anything and watched him leave. I shut the door and sighed. I am so screwed... As I headed towards my room, I felt a heavy force tackle me, sending me crashing into a wall. All its weight was pushing against me, making it impossible for me to get my back off the wall. I could immediately tell who it was.

"Mal," I snarled in disgust.

"You never told me you liked to be called Pit," he said smugly. He traced the scar he gave me years ago when we first met with a finger. "What an incredibly stupid name. Named after what, an angel?" I raised an eyebrow. I never mentioned anything about Pit being an angel. He chuckled. "How ironic, since you act nothing like one. Breaking promises and going behind people's backs. Not very angelic, if I say so myself."

"This coming from the guy who is the definition of pure evil," I muttered flatly. "Your point?"

"You broke our little deal, remember?" He cooed. "You were with this little Josh fello and told him what really happened." I rolled my eyes.

"So? You can't rule my life," I scoffed.

"You'd be surprised how much you've done is under my will," he said.

"Again, your point?" I asked.

"I'll be nice, I'll only ask for one more thing," Mal said.

"Nice? Since when did this happen?" I asked sarcastically. "Did I miss the memo?" Mal glared at me and I shut up.

"Just one thing," he promised. I glared at him. I guess something in my head snapped because-

"NO!" I screamed, kneeing Mal in the groin to stand my ground.

**Hope you liked it! The conversation part 2 will be up soon.**

**Crystal: There's a plot twist next chapter!**

**Mudkip: Thanks for spoiling the story! Anyways, see ya!**

**-Mudkip**


	7. Conversation Part 2

**Conversation Part 2 is here! Enjoy, readers! Kinda like Crystal what said last time, there's a bit of a plot twist in this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own. Don't sue.**

Chapter 7: Conversation Part 2

"Argh!" Mal mumbled, falling to his knees. He cringed in pain.

"I am tired of being your little doll to toy and play with!" I yelled. "What am I to you, a pet or person?!" Mal's eyes widened. My eyes narrowed even more.

"Oh, sure, the only way I can get your mercy if I yell the living f*ck off you!" I spat, extremely frustrated. "You know what? I'm sick of you and all your stupid ways! Why can't you understand that Josh was the one who kissed me and gave me the rose. I had no strong feelings for Josh. Why do you not believe that?! We're just friends!" I took a deep breath.

"Now you're asking for me to just ignore my best friend as if I never knew him! What kind of idiotic person are you?" I paused, thinking about that. "I guess you wouldn't know, considering you've never had any friends," I scoffed.

"Get to the point, Crystal," Mal growled annoyingly. Then I said the words I thought my heart would never let me say-

"I hate you so much!" I said. Mal's eyes narrowed and he stood to his feet, his arms crossed.

"That's quite a spine you've grown there, Crystal," Mal said. "I guess what I had planned for you just won't do a shame, I was hoping we could do it. Oh well, time for plan B." Uh-oh.

"So, what's your brilliant 'payback' plan?" I asked, pretending to be scared.

"Let's see... I highly recall your head was always in a fragile condition. Having the ability to contain large amounts of information and memories. It would be a shame if you lost all of it all over again," Mal cooed. My eyes widened.

"How did you-" I started, actually scared this time around. I never told anyone about my condition! How did he know?

"Enough tough blows to the head should make the effects stay. Permanently," he said as he slammed his fist into the palm of his hand. I gasped. Was Mal really going to take away my memories? My eyes narrowed.

"You. Wouldn't. Dare," I threatened, trying my best not to sound scared. He chuckled darkly.

"Oh, yes I would," Mal said. The last thing I saw was his fist slam into my face as my head crashed into the wall. My body crumpled to the ground, and there was immediate pain in my head.

_Oh no... Please don't let me forget everything again... _I thought as I lost all consciousness.

**Oh, shoot! That can't be good. Now Mal's going to use her amnesia to his advantage!**

**Crystal: You're spoiling it!**

**Mudkip: Am I? (Laughs mischievously) Anyways, hope you liked it, drop a review if you want, and the next chapter will be up soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	8. Advantage

**New chapter up! Enjoy reading it!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own!**

Chapter 8: Advantage

I felt something warm trickle down my mouth. Blood? Maybe. Drool? Hopefully not. That woud be embarassing. How long has it been since I've been knocked out? Ugh... My head hurts like all kinds of crazy... I remember Josh walking me home and Mal punching me in the face... Wait a sec... If I still remember that... Then I don't have amnesia! That's a good thing. My eyes fluttered open.

"Mmm..." I mumbled. "Huh?" Two arms suddenly wrapped around me. I quickly wiped away the stuff spilling out of my mouth (which was drool).

"Oh, thank goodness you're ok, Crystal!" Mal said, faking happiness. "I thought you were dead!" I raised an eyebrow. Just where was he going at?

"Um... What's going on?" I asked. Mal's eyes widened, pretending to be shocked. I sighed. He's a terrible actor. Yet he can still fool the whole TD cast with his Mike act.

"Oh my gosh," he said, faking dismay in his voice. "You don't remember? You might have amnesia!" He seriously thinks that? I guess he thinks everything is going according to his plan.

"Ok..." I muttered. Why should I tell him the truth? He'll probably just knock me out again. It's better to play along. "Who are you?"

"Don't you remember, Crystal?" Mal asked."I'm Mal, your boyfriend." I was so tempted to say _"Not anymore!"_ and slap him, but I didn't.

"I... Sure..." I mumbled.

"C'mon," Mal said. "It's a Friday, so we can spend the weekend together." He's right... about the Friday part. I grinned, trying not to look pained.

"Great!" I lied. I got to my feet steadily, my head still in a daze. Mal put a hand on my shoulder. I grit my teeth in annoyance, but I held my temper.

"Don't worry, I can help you remember some stuff!" Mal said cheerfully. I couldn't help but roll my eyes. Geez, fake-nice Mal is seriously getting under my skin, and it's only been a couple minutes.

"Yay..." I muttered. Oh well. It could be worse. Mal could still be acting like a selfish douche, but he's not. I smiled, this time for real. Not because I didn't have amnesia, but because I tricked Mal into thinking I had one. Who knew this would come to my advantage. My smile turned into a smirk as Mal and I walked off.

**One word- Surprising! Who saw that coming? Hope you enjoyed and the next chapter will be up soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	9. Tricking the trickster

**Chapter 9 is now up! Enjoy reading it, everyone!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 9: Tricking the trickster

If you ever need my advice on how to spend your Saturday, let me just say- Don't spend it with Mal. Especially if he's faking to be nice. That's really annoying. Then again, it's better then him being such an jerk all the time.

So anyways, it was a pain. Mal was just telling me a bunch of fake stuff, and I pretended to listen but really I just ignored him completely. At least I didn't get hurt that day. But then I decided to see what Mal would say to my question-

"So, how'd I get amnesia?" I asked.

"This jerk named Josh hit you in the head," Mal said quickly, a mischievous glint in his eyes, the first sign he was lying. I used this chance to get away from Mal.

"Ok, great!" I said, leaping to my feet. "I'll go talk to that guy!" And I walked away as quickly as I could.

"God, he's so annoying," I muttered under my breath. I looked for Josh, also making sure there was no one (*cough*Mal*cough*) watching. The coast seemed clear. When I finally found Josh, I lifted him by the collar of his polo.

"Why'd you hit me in the head?" I snapped. Josh's eyes widened.

"What are you talking about? I don't even know what's going on!" Josh exclaimed, panicked. I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? How come someone told me you did, then?" I asked suspiciously.

"It wasn't me!" he protested. I let go of his shirt and smirked playfully.

"I believe you," I said. Josh raised an eyebrow.

"What?" He asked, confused.

"You honestly think I would believe anything Mal says?" I said. I laughed a little. "I just got him thinking that I had amnesia!"

"And... You don't?" Josh asked. I shook my head and contained my laughter.

"No! He knocked me out, thinking that I'd get amnesia but I don't!" I explained.

"Oh... I get it," Josh said. "But how do you know he's not watching us as we speak?"

I shrugged. "I don't."

"That's reassuring," he said sarcastically. "Want me to walk you home?" I patted his head.

"No thanks," I said. "I still have to keep up my amnesia act so that means you can't be near me when Mal's around." I waved. "See you!" I walked off. Now I just need to keep this up so Mal will have no idea... Let's hope he never will.

**And that's done! Hope you liked it, and the next chapter will be up soon! See you!**

**-Mudkip**


	10. Cover blown

**New chapter now up! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own!**

Chapter 10: Cover blown

Acting is not as easy as it looks. Trust me. Especially since I'm acting like I have amnesia and I have to put up with Mal's fake niceness, it's no fun.

Then I made a mistake. I was humming a tune when Mal (as fake-nice as ever) asked me a question-

"What are you humming, Crystal?" He asked.

"Gourmet Race from Kirby Superstar, my favorite video game," I answered almost immediately (A/N: one of my fav video games, after Pokemon and SSBB). His expression went cold and he glared at me.

"How'd you know? I thought you had amnesia," Mal said suspiciously. Oh, shoot.

"Well..." I answered nervously. Crap! What do I say? "Um... I'm... Uh... starting to remember some stuff! And I remembered that so... Yeah!" Mal raised an eyebrow. He muttered something I couldn't hear under his breath. I shrugged it off and walked away. At least I tricked Mal again... Sort of.

...

If it was Mal's plan to annoy me so much that I'd admit I don't have amnesia, well, it worked. Mal was still acting nice and I could easily see through his act, so it drove me nuts. Kinda like watching Zoey fall for every one of Mal's tricks. Really frustrating.

"Shut up!" I spat. "I don't have freaking amnesia!" Mal smirked. My eyes widened and I covered my mouth. Did I seriously just say that? Oh, crap.

"Well, well. Looks like my little amnesiac patient never had amnesia at all," Mal said smugly. "What a relief." Uh-oh.

**I'm kinda happy Mal found out. Now I can put more cliffies at the end and things can be more dramatic. Oh yeah, by the way, there's going to be a new character coming in next chapter. It was requested to be put in chapter 7 but I already had plans so I held it off to Chapter 11, And no, they're not going to die in the next two chapters.**

**Mal: What about three?**

**Mudkip: Shut up. Anyhoo, hope you liked it and the next chapter will be up soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	11. Call me Pit

**Ok! New, more dramatic chapter! There's a new character coming in, just so you know!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but Crystal and Josh. Not even the new character.**

Chapter 11: Call me Pit

"Tsk, tsk, Crystal," Mal chided. "I can't believe you lied again. How rude." I narrowed my eyes again and grit my teeth. I socked his jaw and jumped out a conveniently open window and started running like heck (A/N: thanks for the idea cayley!). Somewhere along the way, I crashed into a girl.

"Ow," I muttered, rubbing my head. "Sorry!"

"It's ok," a quiet voice said. "I'm Twila Ember."

"Nice to meet you Twila," I said, looking around for any signs of malevolent, vengeful personalities. "I'm kind of in a hurry, so I have to go." I started running again. Despite the fact that I'm a pretty fast runner, this Twila girl caught up with me.

"Wait!" She cried, trying to keep up. "What's your name?" I halted to a stop. Should I tell her? She might be one of those paparazzi stalker girls. But she seems kinda... Mysterious. I guess I should tell her my nickname, just to be safe.

"Call me Pit," I introduced. When I looked at the girl, memories of Kaitlin's dying body flooded my head. My eyes widened. Oh no... What if Twila got the same fate as Kaitlin?

"Something wrong Pit?" Twila asked. I shook my head.

"N-nothing," I said a bit shakily. "I just thought of something crazy."

"Ok..." She said, a bit confused. A better thought appeared in my head. Maybe Twila could help me!

"Look, can you help me?" I pleaded.

"Um... Sure, I guess," she said.

"If you see a guy with black eyes with dark circles around them, a cyan blue shirt with cuffs sticking out, and dark brown hair covering his right eye, run. Follow me as fast as you can, got it?" I instructed. She nodded. I smiled.

"Oh, good," I said. "I'm-" I saw Mal dashing towards us, looking pretty POed. My eyes widened. Oh no. I grabbed Twila's wrist and dragged her along.

"Change of plans. RUN!" I yelped. We started running, Mal hot on our trails. Twila looked behind her and saw Mal sprinting towards us. Her eyes widened as well.

"That's the guy you were talking about, right?" She asked. I didn't answer, mainly because Mal tackled me, my face and the rest of my body crashing into the ground.

"Pit!" Twila exclaimed. I let out a muffled "I'm OK!" Even though my cheek was badly scraped. But hey, in my terms OK means not dead.

"How delightful. Looks like you found a new friend," Mal cooed, sitting on my back and running a finger through my hair. "It would be a shame if she went to waste like the... other one."

"Don't even talk about Kaitlin like that! You're the one who killed her!" I spat, trying to get Mal off my back.

"Pit, are you OK?" Twila asked, worried. Mal laughed cruely.

"Well, well Crystal. You don't trust people enough that you can't even tell others your name?" Mal taunted. "How pitiful (A/N: Get it? Cause y'know, Pit, PITiful? Ok, I'll shut up and continue the story)." Twila cocked her head to the left in confusion.

"You're name's actually Crystal?" She asked.

"Yes but people call me Pit!" I explained quickly. No way was Mal going to harm her or turn her against me in any way! "And the guy who is currently pinning me to the ground is Mal and he killed my best friend four years ago!"

"Enough to shatter your already broken soul," Mal added.

"Shut up!" I growled. "You're nothing but a cruel, heartless murderer!" Tears sprang up in my eyes. That would suck if I cried. Then my tears would fall into my scratches. And that would be painful. Twila was watching in shock.

"Oh..." Was all she said quietly.

"So please help me and don't listen to anything this guy says!" I begged. Twila smiled in a friendly matter. I sighed with relief. I finally found the strength to push Mal off my back. I quickly got to my feet, and hugged Twila.

"Oh, thank you, thank you!" I exclaimed. I had almost forgotten Mal was there. Almost.

**I guess this is a good place to end the chapter! Hope you liked it, and the next one will be up soon! Before I leave, though, I just want to say that Twila Ember belongs to Lemon04. If you need me to change anything, just tell me. See ya!**

**-Mudkip**


	12. A younger friend

**New chapter with yet another new character! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own**

Chapter 12: A younger friend

10 minutes later...

"Hold still," Twila said. I invited her over to my house and she was just bandaging up my cheek. She gently dabbed my scraped cheek with some kind of healing thing that stings a lot. I cringed, but I had faced worse. She quickly bandaged my cheek and smiled.

"There," she said. I smiled back.

"Thanks, Twila." I said gratefully, rubbing my cheek.

"No problem," she said. "Why was that guy chasing you? Mal, or something? He was really scary."

"It's a long story," I said without hesitating. I didn't want to get into the details.

"Could you tell me?" She asked a little hopefully. I sighed, then nodded. I didn't want to be too harsh. So, I told her about the day I met Mal 6 years ago, and before I knew it, I was telling everything that had happened between the two of us. She was a pretty good listener. She laughed at times like when Mal turned into Svetlana and the boat race. I caught her tearing up when I told her about Kaitlin's death and the things that were happening now.

Coincidentally when I finished talking, my phone buzzed. I pulled it out. It was a text from Josh.

**Wanna come over? -Josh**

"Hey, my friend Josh wants me to go over to his place," I told Twila. "Wanna come with?" She nodded. "Great! Let's go!"

...

"Oh, great. You're here! And you brought a friend!" Josh said, waving to Twila.

"So what's the problem?" I asked.

"Nah, nothing's wrong, I'm just getting paid to watch over this little kid," Josh explained.

"Since when were you in the babysitting business?" I asked sarcastically.

"Well, Crystal, not everyone in this world has a million dollars to replace everything that's been broken. Some people actually need to work," Josh retorted. Twila giggled.

"So, can we come in or what?" I asked. He let us in and we saw a ten-year old boy drawing something. He had orange hair with blue goggles on his head. The boy looked up, revealing that he had brown eyes as well. He smiled at us.

"G'day mates, the name's Kisu," the boy said in an Australian accent. I smiled back at him while Twila kind of stood behind me.

"Hi, Kisu," I replied. "I'm Crystal, and this is Twila." Twila waved a bit shyly.

"Nice to meet you," He said politely.

"Well, he has manners unlike someone," I said, playfully elbowing Josh.

"I hope by someone you mean Mal," He muttered back.

"So, watcha drawing Kisu?" I asked him, ignoring Josh. He gave me a toothy grin, and lifted up the drawing. It was a picture of a boy with red hair the color of flames and gray eyes.

"This is my cobber (friend in the Aussie slang, for those of you who don't know), Kenji!" He chirped happily. "He's my hero! And his sister Diamond is really cool too!" I smiled and opened my mouth to speak, but before I could get any words out, a dark voice spoke for me.

"How adorably stupid," the voice said. I shut my mouth and groaned in annoyance. I wasn't going to say that!

"Um... Since when did you sound like that?" Josh asked.

"That wasn't her," Twila responded nervously. Kisu looked behind us, and when he saw the person the voice came from, his eyes burned with hatred. Never have I seen a ten-year-old look that angry. This can't be good.

"Mal," he growled. I looked at Kisu, then Mal.

"You two know each other?" I asked. Huh.

"Well, well. If it isn't the little brat Kisu," Mal sneered, ignoring my question. For once, Mal didn't notice I was here!

"What are you doing here, you wiley dingo?" Kisu snapped.

"Actually, I was here to see Pitty-" Mal pointed at me. Never mind about him not noticing me. "But looks like I found something else." Kisu's got some guts, 'cause he walked up to Mal and kicked his shin. I burst out laughing.

"Ow! You little brat!" Mal spat, wincing a little from pain.

"Honestly, Josh, Kisu should get paid, not you," I joked. I stopped laughing. "But seriously, why does Kisu have a grudge against Mal, and vise-versa?" Josh shrugged.

"I don't know, he didn't tell," Josh said, also a bit confused. And from the glaring contest they were currently having, it didn't seem like any of them were going to tell.

**Kisu belongs to shinxshinx1595. Thanks for also contributing ideas to this chapter also (if you've read A Virtual Mess you should be able to point out some parts)! Hope you liked it, and the next chapter will be up soon!**

**Crystal: Oh, I would also like to acknowledge Alex for saying that I would make a better Mal than Mal himself! *bows* Thank you, I try!**

**Mal: Hmph. It wasn't _that _good.**

**Crystal: *blows raspberry* You jelly?**

**-Mudkip**


	13. Unknown grudges

**Last chapter, I made a mistake. Diamond isn't Kenji's sister, but he treats her like one.**

**Crystal: Sorry about that!**

**Mudkip: Continuing on! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own!**

Chapter 13: Unknown grudges

How come I never heard of Kisu? I'm pretty sure they didn't meet in juvi, so where else?

"Um... So are we just going to ignore the fact that Mal somehow found out where I live or will this keep up for a while?" Josh asked.

"Remind me to check my clothes for any secret cameras," I said to myself.

"Kisu, why do you hate Mal so much? Not the I'm surprised or anything, but I just want a reason," Josh wondered. Kisu turned to face Josh.

"This dingo ruined my first catch!" Kisu said angrily, pointing to Mal. Mal rolled his eyes.

"So? If anything, I should be the only one getting revenge, brat," Mal snarled.

"Care to tell us what happened?" Josh asked, a bit of sarcasm in his voice.

"I was 'bout six years old, and I was gonna get my first catch," Kisu started.

"Wait... So Mal would be 13, and he would be in juvi... You know what? Never mind..." I muttered.

"And I was having a little fun, if you know what I mean Pitty," Mal said. Fun= causing trouble as long as I'm not involved. If I'm involved... That's not any better. I narrowed my eyes.

"Seriously, stop calling me Pitty!"

"And Mal here decides to pretend to be my mate Manitoba, and ruins it!" Kisu said, TOed.

"Harsh," Twila said.

"Oh... Kinda like when Mal took control over Svetlana," I noted. "Probably why I never got to see any of Mike's (or Mal's) personalities..."

"And I knew this wasn't Manitoba, since there were dark circles around his eyes," Kisu explained. "He also laughed at me, which I know Manitoba would never do."

"So the brat here declares revenge on me," Mal says, his words sharp.

"And I drop a big ol' rock on his head," Kisu said proudly. I started laughing again.

"I have new respect for 10 year old Australians," I announced.

"So this brings Mike back," Mal growled. "And gets me locked up!"

"For two people hating each other, you guys know how to tell a decent story," Josh said, taking some popcorn from the bowl that magically appeared in his hand.

"Where did that come from?" I asked, pointing to the bowl. Josh shrugged. Mal and Kisu kept arguing and didn't notice that the three of us had left the room. Josh locked the door.

"Are you nuts?!" I cried. Josh grinned mischievously. Are Josh and Mal playing role reserval or something?

"No, I just want to see what happens," he said.

"Hopefully they just argue for the next ten minutes," Twila said, pointing to the door, noting all the yelling.

"Best case scenario, probably," Josh guessed. I sighed.

"Wanna play video games?" Josh asked, trying to cheer me up.

"Sure, why not?" I said, a bit distraught, wondering what might happen to Kisu and Mal.

**Josh: So... This is the first time I'm in the author's note... What do I do?**

**Crystal: For now, just wait for the author to arrive.**

**Mudkip: Sorry! Anyways, hope you liked this chapter!**

**Crystal: Review if you want!**

**Mudkip: And the next chapter will be up soon!**

**Crystal: Josh, say thanks for us, ok?**

**Josh: Um... Right! Thanks to shinxshinx1595 for contributing ideas for this story again!**

**Mudkip: See ya!**

**-Mudkip**


	14. More unknown history

**New chapter up! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own**

Chapter 14: More unknown history

I noticed Twila looked kinda of sad, and her expression seemed far away.

"What's wrong Twila?" I asked. She sighed.

"It's just..." Her voice trailed off. "It's just that Mal and I knew each other from before."

"Geez, what else is he not telling that I don't know of?" I muttered to myself.

"No, we knew each other when we were little kids... Well I technically knew Mike..." She said.

*_flashback, no specific age*_

_It was about when Twila was six. She was pretty happy back then, and then she met Mike. Things didn't go downhill from there, in case if you're wondering._

_"Hi," Twila said shyly. "What's your name?" The spiky-haired boy looke up and smiled._

_"I'm Mike," he said in a high-pitched squeaky voice._

_"Are you OK?" She asked. "You have a lot of ouchies on your arms."_

_He gave a nervous laugh. "I... I'm fine," he said. After he said that, he gasped in deeply, his back hunching over._

_"No I'm not OK!" He cried in an elderly voice. "Darn kids with their lying these days..."_

_"Mike?" Twila asked._

_"Mike? The name's Chester! Get it right, you young missy!" He yelled, then gasped again, his back straightening._

_"Sorry, what were we talking about?" Mike asked._

_"Um... Are you Mike or Chester?" Twila asked._

_"Oh..." he gave another nervous laugh. "About that... I have Multiple Personality Disorder..."_

_"What's a disorder?" She asked._

_"It's kind of like a problem," Mike explained._

_"Oh..." She said, understanding. "Is it bad?"_

_"I guess it's ok... I mean it's not so bad for me-" He took another deep breath, this time obtaining lipstick and eyelashes._

_"But it iz no problem vor Svetlana!" He yelled in a feminine voice, jumping up in the air and doing a perfect flip. When he landed on the ground, he gasped again._

_"What am I doing here?" Mike asked._

_"Um... Svetlana came out and did a really cool trick," Twila said, having trouble pronouncing "Svetlana"._

_"Oh... Chester and Svetlana are only two of my personalities," Mike said._

_"Only two?" Twila asked. Mike told her about the other two, Vito, the one who really likes ladies, and Manitoba, the adventurer._

_"Wow..." She said, amazed. "Want to be friends?" He smiled and nodded happily._

_Four years later..._

_Both Twila and Mike were ten, and on the last day of their fourth grade year. Everything was going great, until Mike took a football to the head._

_"No!" Twila screamed and dragged his unconsious body onto a bench. "Please, please be OK..." As if on cue, his eyes fluttered open._

_"Mike, thank goodness you're OK!" Twila said, relief quickly filling her. "Mike" laughed darkly._

_"How darling, you think your precious Mike is here," He said in a low, scary voice. The relief abandoned her as fast as it had filled her._

_"W-who are you then?" Twila asked._

_"Oh dear, I don't believe Mike has introduced me yet. I'm Mal," He said, letting his hair fall down, covering his right eye. Twila gasped and tried to choke back a sob._

_"Bring Mike back!" She said, her voice wavering. Mal smirked._

_"Love to, but I haven't even had my share of fun yet," He said as he walked off, whistling an eerie tune. A tear fell down Twila's cheek._

_"Where did you go, Mike?" She whispered._

_*end flashback*_

I gave Twila a comforting hug. I felt so selfish for once wanting Mal to stay in control forever. I had forgotten to put other's feelings first, like Twila's and Zoey's. I looked at my watch and my eyes widened.

"Oh crap! An hour has gone by?!" I cried.

"So?" Josh asked.

"Did you forget about Kisu?!" I exclaimed. Josh's eyes widened.

"Shoot!" He yelled as he ran to the room where we locked Kisu and Mal up. Twila and I followed him.

"Ten bucks say they're dead," Josh guessed.

"Twenty says they made up," I betted.

"Only one way to find out..." Twila said as she unlocked and opened the door. We say Kisu and Mal shaking hands.

"It's OK, mate," Kisu said.

"Yeah, I guess," Mal said. How come Mal didn't treat me like this?!

"Yeah! You owe me twenty!" I cheered. Josh groaned.

"Great, now I need 120 dollars!" He complained. I lightly punched him.

"Don't worry, you don't actually owe me twenty," I said. Josh sighed with relief.

"We made up," Mal said flatly.

"We noticed," Twila said. The doorbell rang.

"Here Mal, I was going to give this to Josh but I think you deserve it more," Kisu said and have Mal a small ball. Josh scowled and rolled his eyes.

"Thanks," Mal said. As Kisu left with Nika and Kumiko, he yelled "Push the button!" Mal raised an eyebrow and pushed the button. It exploded in his face and covered him in pink glitter. We all burst out laughing.

"Bye Kisu!" I said and waved goodbye. Mal grinned and laughed a little as he brushed some of the glitter of his hair.

"Wow, I'm surprised they bonded so well," Twila said.

"Maybe we should lock you and Mal and see what happens," Josh suggested. My eyes widened and I shook my head, seeing a smirk curl up on Mal's lips.

"N-no way, I'm not staying in a room with Mal," I said nervously. Still, Josh pushed me into the room with Mal.

"Have fun!" He said devishly. And he closed the door. I heard a click. My eyes widened.

So much for Josh not letting Mal lay a finger on me.

**Crystal: GET ME OUT!**

**Josh: Sorry, your time's not up yet!**

**Mudkip: Um... So, hope you liked it and the next chapter will be up soon!**

**Josh: Thanks again to Lemon04 and shinxshinx1595 for sending in ideas an requests for this chapter!**

**Mudkip: See ya!**

**-Mudkip**


	15. A decent conversation

**Woohoo! 50th chapter I've ever written! Let's go! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 15: A decent conversation

I started pounding on the door. "LET ME OUT!" I screamed.

On the outside...

"Think she's mad?" Twila asked.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure Kisu softened Mallory up. She'll be fine," Josh guessed. They heard a banging noise coming from the other side.

"JOSHUA ROSELIN WHITE! LET ME OUT!"

"Your middle name's Roselin?' Twila asked. Josh blushed with embarassment.

"It was my mom's last name, OK?!" he cried.

On the inside...

I sighed and stopped banging on the door. Josh probably wasn't going to let me out, now that I revealed his full name. Mal smirked. _Just stay calm and act like you weren't freaking out five seconds ago..._

"Not so much of a friend is he, Pitty Pat?" Mal taunted.

"Great, now you're calling me that? What's next, Pitooey?" I groaned. "Does it bother you that you've been locked in this room for the past hour or so?" I asked, an eyebrow raised.

"No, it reminds me of my juvi days. Never knew you still cared, Pitty Pat."

I grit my teeth in annoyance. "How many times do I need to tell you? Call me Crystal or Pit! Not some stupid nickname you made up!"

"Whatever you say, Pitty Pat," Mal said smugly. I rolled my eyes and sighed.

"Fine Mr. Personality. Call me that, see if I care," I muttered. "By the way, you look great in pink glitter." Mal glared at me and threw a punch at me. I ducked just in time, causing his fist to slam into the door.

"Hey, aren't we supposed to be 'bonding'?" I asked, putting an innocent smile on my face.

"No, we're supposed to be locked in this room together so your stupid friend Roselin can see what happens," He growled.

"But doesn't he want us to anyways?" I said, keeping the innocent smile.

"Well, you think I'm one to forgive and forget?" He snarled. I shrugged, trying to restrain myself from jumping out of a window... Again.

"Fine, we don't get along," I said a bit casually, even though I was still panicky on the inside. In no time flat, Mal had placed a hand around my throat, threatening to choke me yet again. Ok... I'm really scared now. Fortunately, someone opened the door just in time. Since my back was pressed against the wall, I fell back when Mal immediately let go off my neck. Before I fell to the ground, Josh caught me in his arms. I got to my feet quickly and slapped Josh in the face. I stormed off.

"What did I do?" Josh asked, rubbing his cheek.

"No offense, but you have terrible bonding activities," Twila said. "Don't become a psychiatrist when you grow up. It'll never work."

"That's what happens when you put a hot-headed beauty like Pitty Pat and me in the same room," Mal said cooly and walked off, whistling as usual, earning a glare from both Josh and Twila.

**Just a note, I might not update tommorow. I've got a dentist appointment and a big Chinese New Year celebration tommorow.**

**Crystal: Even though CNY is today...**

**Mudkip: But anyways, hope you liked and I'll try to update soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	16. A special visit

**Oh, writer's block. How I wish I could get a writer's pickaxe and break you (see what I did there?). That's why I haven't uploaded in the past couple days (I wasn't dead!). Sorry to keep you waiting! Irregardless, a new chapter is now up! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 16: A special visit

I woke up with a start. Oh geez... Did all that crazy stuff happen only yesterday? I rubbed my cheek. The band-aid was still there. I sighed and got dressed into my usual outfit, getting ready for school.

...

Probably for the first time, I gave Josh the cold shoulder for reasons besides Mal telling me to do so. I mean seriously, he locked me up with a freaking evil psychopath! You can't help but hold a grudge!

Anyways, I was just casually playing some video games (I really should be doing some homework instead...) when I heard someone knock on the door. I sighed and paused my game. Leaping to my feet, controller in hand, I headed towards the door. It was probably Mal stalking me again (and no there weren't any secret cameras hidden in my clothes) or Josh begging for forgiveness. Then again, if it were Mal, I'd be pinned to a wall or tackled to the ground by now. Either way, I was wrong. It was Kisu, the ten-year-old Australian Josh had watched over yesterday.

"Hi, Kisu!" I said happily.

"G'day Shiela!" Kisu responded, a giant smile on his face.

"Um... How'd you know where I live?" I asked, a little confused.

"Josh told me!" Kisu said. _Great, that's another thing to add to the _Why I am Pissed at Josh_ list- telling people where I live. _"You weren't busy, we're you?" I shook my head.

"No, I was just playing some fighting video games," I explained, holding up the controller in my hand. His smile widened even more (or just as wide as it can get).

"Ace (which is excellent in Aussie slang)!" He cheered. "I love a good fight!" He raced inside the house and I followed, heading towards the TV, which was where I was before. I plopped myself back on the ground and unpaused the game, finishing up the round.

"So that's why Mal calls ya 'Pitty Pat'," Kisu said. I turned my head to look at him, an eyebrow arched. How did he know all of this? Something's up...

"Huh?" I asked.

"Because of what you're playing, so that dingo calls ya 'Pitty Pat'," He answered.

"It's supposed to be Pit, but Mal just calls me Pitty Pat to get on my neves," I muttered flatly. My feelings for Mal were decreasing by the day, and I didn't like it at all. By it, I mean him, of course... What else could I have meant? Heh heh...

"So, you wanna try?" I asked, wanting to change the subject. He nodded eagerly and I handed him a controller.

"Ok, but I won't go easy!" I warned, probably a bit cockily.

"I won't back down!" He declared. I smiled. Kisu was probably my favorite person at the moment, even if he was ten. After a while, Kisu said something that caught my attention-

"Y'know, Josh says he's sorry," Kisu said.

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"He wants to tell you he's sorry," Kisu repeated. The word "sorry" sounds funny in an Australian accent.

"Really," I muttered. "Well, thanks for telling me." Josh must have told Kisu the situation and wanted Kisu to apologize for him. I think I'll forgive him. Besides, with Mal around, I could use all the friends I could get.

That night, Kisu had already left and I lay in bed awake, wondering how tommorow would work for me.

Hopefully, it'll work out fine.

**Hope you thought this chapter was OK to make up for a 3-day disappearance! I will get back to my daily chapters!**

**-Mudkip**


	17. Forgiveness

**Forgot to say thanks to shinxshinx1595 last chapter for submitting yet another idea. So thanks! Anyways, a new chapter is now up! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own!**

Chapter 17: Forgiveness

Compared to other days, today was actually pretty normal so far. Things didn't go incredibly downhill when I forgave Josh.

"Look, Crystal, I'm sorry! Please forgive-" I held up my hand to shut him up.

"It's ok, dude," I said. "I forgive you."

"Yes!" He lept up and cheered. I raised an eyebrow. His happy mood immediately changed into a calm and slightly embarrassed expression on his face.

"I... Sorry. Um, thanks for forgiving me," He said.

"Why did you lock me up with that psychopath anyway?" I asked, still a little miffed. Josh looked pretty guilty.

"I just wanted for you and Mal to get along, y'know?" He said quickly and awkwardly. "I mean... I know it's been rough for you two and as much as I... I just wanted you two to at least be friends." I smirked.

"Yeah... About that... Mal doesn't do friends. He prefers the word "peons"," I said flatly, making quotation marks with my fingers. Josh snickered.

"Really?" He asked sarcastically. "Geez, what possessed you to fall for a d*ck like him?" I slapped him. "Ow!"

"He actually cared once!" I snapped. "And I guess he doesn't anymore..." I added quietly.

"Sorry again," He said. "I had no idea... I would give you a flower but considering how that went last time... Here." He leaned in and kissed my cheek.

"Aw, you're so sweet!" I said playfully.

"No, but seriously, what do you mean by he cared once?" Josh asked. I sighed sadly and stuffed my hands in my pocket. I felt something circular and smooth in it. I pulled it out. It was a CD that read _Mal and Crystal _in black sharpie. My eyes widened. Josh snatched the CD out of my hands.

"Agh! Give it back!" I cried. He read the label and smirked.

"So these show all your adventures?" He asked smugly. My cheeks started to burn and I glared at him.

"Give it back!" I repeated, reaching up for the CD but since Josh was taller, he held it above his head. Argh, he's making me feel like I'm a five-year-old!

"Aw, c'mon, can't I at least watch what's on it?" He asked playfully. I jumped up and snatched the CD back from Josh's hands.

"No!" I exclaimed, my cheeks still flushed. It was another CD I stole from the spa hotel back on the island from the trips Mal took me there, which I had never mentioned... It showed all the events that had happened between the two of us, like the CD stealing and me saving him (how they were able to film inside his brain, I don't know (then again, how I got inside his head, I don't know)) and I was NOT going to let anyone see it.

"What? You don't have to hide anything from me!" Josh teased.

"I'm still not showing it," I said, crossing my arms and closing my eyes, showing a stubborn look on my face. Someone plucked the CD from my hands and I reopened my eyes, guessing it was Josh again.

"Very funny, now give it back-" When I realized who it actually was, I almost choked on the last word. My eyes widened.

"Well, well. Look who I happen to run into. Pitty Pat and Roselin. What a surprise," Mal said, his visible eye narrowing at the both of us.

**Uh-oh. Hope you liked this chapter, send in a review if you want, and the next one will be up soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	18. Tired of everything

**New chapter up! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own, last time I checked.**

Chapter 18: Tired of everything

"Hm... Let's see, what's this?" Mal asked suspiciously as he read the label. "_Mal and Crystal_, huh?" He chuckled and broke the CD in half, tossing the pieces behind him. "How pathetic. But your devotion is touching."

"What do you want this time?" Josh snapped, stepping in front of me. Mal smirked.

"Well, well, looks like Pitty Pat here has to rely on others to protect her," Mal taunted. I shot Josh an angry _thanks-alot-jackass _look. I glared straight into Mal's shady black eyes.

"I can handle myself, thank you very much," I spat.

"Really? Because last time I checked, all you do is hide behind your friends. And if you don't have any of your precious friends around, you just run away," Mal said smugly. My eyes narrowed.

"That's-" I started, but Mal cut me off.

"Not true?" He laughed again, but this time he sounded like he was amused by what I said. "Tell me Pitty Pat, don't you remember our second encounter? You ran. Oh, and the time you hit me in the head with a basketball. You ran, leaving me. Then the time you confessed your true feelings for me (he just HAD to use that example, didn't he?). You ran again. And then not too long ago when you admitted you were faking amnesia. You ran yet again. Now you have Roselin here to protect you wherever you go, along with the ten-year-old Kisu and even that scaredy-cat girl Twila. Now how is that not true?" I hate to admit it, but he's right. I clenched my teeth and raised a fist to throw a punch, but he pushed me against a wall, his hand pushing on my chest, just above where my breasts were.

"My, my, Pitty Pat. Seems like you haven't been practicing much," Mal cooed. Like I spend my time practicing my punches. "Let me show you how it's done." Before I could say or do anything, his fist slammed directly into my face. My head slammed against the wall, and I fell to the ground when Mal released the pressure he had on my chest.

My head filled with pain, especially in my nose. I held my hand to my nose. Yep. Definitely broken. That sucks. I groaned in pain. I was tired of my goddamn life. I was tired of Mal for making me miserable. I was tired off Josh for managing to mess things up, intentional or not. I was tired of everything. I pulled my hand away my nose, and my palm was covered in blood. Tears stung in my eyes.

I just wanted cry, just curl up in a ball and start sobbing like a little girl. But seeing my warm blood didn't make me dizzy or confused or defeated, but angry, a fiery feeling filling my body blocking out the pain I felt, along with Josh's cries for help and Mal's stupid voice in general. I clenched my fist, my nails digging against my bloody palm. I slowly rose to my feet, blood roaring in my head. I was tired of being the damsel in distress, the cowering victim Mal had defined me. With my friends or not, I was going to take a stand. I opened my eyes, showing that they were burning with pure rage. Mal just seemed to notice I wasn't screaming in pain.

"So my little Pitty Pat hasn't givin up yet? Guess you won't back down, will you?" I glared at him and said slowly, my voice clipped with every word-

"You know what? Bring it, Mal."

**What's gonna happen? Hope you liked this chapter, don't forget to send your thoughts in the reviews, and the next one will be up soon!**

**Josh: It's gonna be in MY point of view! **

**Mudkip: Yeah, what he said. Anyways, see ya!**

**-Mudkip**


	19. Truth

**Ok, new chapter! New point of view as well! So, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 19: Truth

**Josh's P.O.V.**

So, today's been pretty weird. When Pit finally forgives me for locking her up, we just had to run into Mal, and he screwed everything up. I watched in horror as Mal punched her in the face, and she crumpled to the ground.

"Pit!" I cried. I saw Twila run up to me.

"Sorry I'm late!" Twila said, catching her breath. "What did I-" She saw Pit laying on the ground, a hand over her nose "Oh." I watched her with wide eyes. _Pit... Please, please get up and beat the hell out of Mal... _I prayed silently. I saw her get to her feet, her nose bleeding, causing a bloody right hand and a bloody upper lip.

"You know what?" She asked, her eyes blazing with pure anger. "Bring it, Mal." And then she did something I totally did not expect- she tackled Mal, sending him crashing into the ground. She locked both of her hands around his neck, her knee digging into his stomach. I saw a look of fear and dismay grow through Mal's face. I actually felt a little sorry for him. Just a little.

"Hm..." Twila muttered.

"What?" I asked. "Is there something wrong with Pit?" Twila shook her head.

"I don't think so," she said. "Just imagine this- Crystal's been hurt by Mal ever since she was eleven, right?" My eyes widened.

"Wait, what?!" I exclaimed. I know they knew each other before, but he abused her?!

"Oh, whoops." Twila covered her mouth. "She never told you, huh? Anyways-"

"Hold on a second," I interrupted. I wasn't going to let this topic slide. "If Mal's been abusing Pit all these years, is that how she got her scar?" I remembered what she had told me when I asked where her scar was from- "_Oh, um... I was cutting something with a knife, and it cut my lip!"_ I never understood how it got to her lip, but now I realized- Mal had cut her with a knife.

"Anyways-," Twila repeated.

"Wait!" I said. "This has gone on for six years?!"

"Techinically four, including this year," Twila corrected.

"Not helping!" I said. I wanted to scream. She never told me this! I started getting angry at Mal for hurting her, then Pit for not telling, then at myself for not realizing. I remembered Mal slapping her in the face, and she being so weak and helpless.

How could I be so stupid? He slapped her right in front of my eyes, and I just shrugged it off. Did she have other scars? If so, where? What was she hiding? I'm pretty sure she's hiding something behind that watch she always wears... I was so into my thoughts, I didn't even notice Crystal walking up to us.

"You ok Crystal?" Twila asked.

"Besides the fact that my nose hurts like crap, yeah," she mumbled angrily. Her nose was still pretty bloody, and her shirt was covered in blood stains. I decided to get to the point.

"Crystal, take your watch off," I ordered straightforwardly. That seemed to snap her out of her mood. Her eyes widened, acting if I told her to take off her shirt.

"I'm not taking it off!" She cried. She's definitely hiding something.

"Fine. I'll do it then," I said calmly and grabbed her left wrist, which was where her watch was. Her eyes widened even more in horror as I quickly unlatched the watch. When I saw here exposed wrist, I gasped quietly. On her wrist were 5 pale lines in different places, one on the bottom, four on the top, easily able to be seen on her lightly tanned wrist. No. They weren't lines. They were scars. Tears sprang up in my eyes, but I just grabbed her wrist gently and dragged her along.

"C'mon. We're going to my place. You've got some explaining to do."

**Looks like Josh never knew what Mal was doing to Crystal! Hope you liked this chapter, and I'll upload ****the next one soon (it's still in Josh's POV, by the way)! Oh yeah, happy 32nd birthday, Cory Doran (the voice actor for Mike and his personalities!)!**

**-Mudkip**


	20. Scars

**New chapter! Enjoy, everybody!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own!**

Chapter 20: Scars

**Still in Josh's P.O.V.**

I handed her a towel. "Here," I said. "Clean yourself up and bandage your nose." Crystal nodded and headed off. 15 minutes later, Crystal came out of the bathroom, her body free of blood stains, and her nose was bandaged up. Her shirt was still a little bloody, though. Not sure what I was going to do about that.

"I'm sorry I never told you about Mal," she whispered. I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a comforting hug.

"It's ok," I whispered back. I was on the verge of tears, which was quite surprising for someone like me. "I'm sorry for not being there for you."

"Mal was right," She said quietly. "I am just a helpless coward who hides behind my friends." I pulled myself away a little, so our bodies weren't touching, but my arms were still wrapped around her.

"No you're not," I comforted softly. "You're strong, brave, and beautiful. You've been dealing with that jerk for years. You're not a coward." I brushed a hand against her cheek. "Where did those scars on your wrist come from?" She took a shaky breath.

"O-Our first encounter," she replied. "I just got rid of some bullies for him, not even knowing who he was, and when I offered my hand to help him up, he grabbed my wrist and dug his nails into my wrist so hard, he left bleeding scars. Those scars never healed."

"What about the other one?" I asked. She looked a bit uneasy about the answer she was going to give.

"I had a small accident," she mumbled. I knew the actual answer.

"Mal cut you with a knife," I corrected flatly. She shrugged.

"Eh, tomato, tomahto," She muttered. How could she not care?!

"What's the worst thing he's done?" I asked. Her eyes filled up with tears.

"H-He k-killed..." Her voice trailed off and she broke down in tears. Killed what? She was an only child, she never owned any pets, and both of her parents were still alive. Then I remembered the first word she said to me- "Dead." She was talking about Kaitlin. I also remembered talking to the police, asking the cause of Kaitlin's death. They wouldn't tell me because they claimed they didn't know. But now I knew.

Mal killed Kaitlin.

"That's it. I'm calling the police about Mal," I growled.

"No, don't!" She cried.

"Why?" I asked. "This jerk deserves to go to jail. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't call the police." I probably sounded really harsh, but it was the truth. Her bottom lip started started to quiver like she was afraid to tell the truth, and I was afraid what the truth was.

"I-I-I... L-Love... H-Him..." She whispered, even more tears falling down her face. I died on the inside.

"He does so many horrible things to you... Who knows what he might do next..." I said, thinking about what he might do. "How could you love him?"

"Three years, Josh. Three years without the one you love, thinking he was dead," She sobbed. "It may have been hard to admit it, but you're in love with him, no matter how cruel or mean they were. And he finally loves you back. Then he disappears for three years, leaving you alone in the dark, stumbling around, lost, wondering where he was. Finally, you reunite with him and he gives you the best gift for your birthday- his love."

"T-That's why you were so happy on your birthday..." I noted, remembering her 17th birthday.

"And when you meet again in real life at last, you're finally something you haven't been for years- complete. But then something happens, and everything comes crashing down. Your life goes from a perfect life to a living hell. You're lost again, wondering why you deserve to be hurt like this. But you, Josh; you know why."

It hit me. It was my fault. I kissed her, which sent her into the hell she was in. My eyes stung with tears, and I started crying. It was my fault Mal had hurt her so badly. I screwed everything up for her. She could have had a wonderful life, but I got rid of the chances of that happening. I felt so bad for kissing her... I felt as if I just dug her grave, just waiting for Mal to push her in the hole. I could have let her have a great life with Mal, and we could be friends... But she couldn't have that...

_But I had to... I had to kiss her... I love her..._

**Ok... So I literally got the idea for the dialogue of this chapter at like 5 in the morning, and then I started crying because of all the sappy stuff I put in here. I dunno, maybe 5AM is like my sensitive hour, telling me to go to sleep. Anyhoo, hope ya liked this chapter and the next one will be up soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	21. Plans

**New chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own. Duh.**

Chapter 21: Plans

**Back in Crystal's P.O.V.**

I ran off crying. I remembered Josh's face when he saw the scars on my wrist. His expression was shocked, sad, and disappointed, as if he were saying- _Why? Why did you never tell me?_

I instantly regretted hiding those scars, but when everyone noticed the scar under my lip years ago, they immediatley ridiculed me, showing no sign of sympathy or caring at all. So I had to hide the other scars.

_"Watcha got there, Pisstal? Some new accesory for your lip or something?" That same bully who I got rid of the other day taunted. I glared at him._

_"Battle scars. Something I earned myself, and something I'm not afraid to give to you." _

_That shut him up._

I looked at my now bare left wrist. I guess Josh never gave me my watch back. I felt so bad about myself. I poured my heart out, which probably also broke Josh's heart in the process._  
_

I sobbed some more. Why did life have to be so complicated?

I heard my phone playing a two note tune from Pokemon (y'know, that tune when your Pokemon is about to evolve?), alerting that I got a text. It was from Josh.

**I'm sorry.**

I felt like crying again, except that I had already cried all my tears out. At least he's sorry...

...

I decided to talk to Josh the next day.

"I'm sorry," I said immediately without hesitation. Josh's face softened.

"It's my fault," Josh admitted. "I shouldn't have kissed you." I smiled, but I was still uneasy.

"But can we spend one last afternoon together? Then we can go back to the days where we were just friends," Josh asked. I smiled, thinking of all the lazy days we spent together playing video games and laughing at the messed up logic the games had.

"Sure. Where to?" I asked.

"How about the lake?" Josh asked. The lake?! Anywhere but there! I grinned anyways, my eye twitching a little.

"Great!" I lied with fake enthusiasm in my voice.

"I'll see you there!" Josh waved and walked off. I groaned. The lake held bad memories, but I didn't want Josh to know that. What would I going say? _"Hi Josh! Can we not go to the lake? I almost killed myself there five years ago thanks to Mal!" _Josh would probably flip out even more, and then he would definitely call the police, which I did not want. Did I? Argh... I could just imagine Mal cooing in my ear, repeating those same words from that one night, making fun of me for not wanting to tell anyone- _"Oh, perfect. A little girl I've abused for years hasn't told a single soul about me, just because of some silly feeling she has for me?"_

I sighed. Love did seem pretty silly at the moment.

...

I tied my slightly damp hair into a ponytail and slipped a black hoodie over my blue t-shirt. I smiled dreamily, thinking about the afternoon Josh and I were about to spend together.

_"Snap out of it! It's not that special of a day! Who knows what might happen!" _The little voice in my head screamed. I sighed and placed my blue baseball cap back on my head, slightly covering my bangs. I had replaced my watch with a black wrist-warmer (or whatever you call those things) and headed out towards the lake.

How bad could it be?

**If only she knew... (laughs evilly)**

**Crystal: What are you laughing for?**

**Mudkip: *Ahem* Nothing! Hope you liked this chapter and the next one will be up soon!**

**Crystal: Hm...**

**-Mudkip**


	22. The lake

**New chapter up! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 22: The lake

I arrived at the lake and just stood by the shore, remembering the night I tried to kill myself. I sighed. Telling Mal off was probably the high point of my life back then.

"And what are you doing here on such a lovely day?" A dark voice asked. I turned to face Mal, trying my best to look calm.

"Just reminiscing on some memories," I replied coolly. Mal smirked as if he remembered too and held up something white.

"I believe Roselin dropped this when he saw your little... Accidents," Mal said, acting if he were trying to find the right words for my scars. I clenched my fists.

"Great. Can I have it back?" I snapped.

"Not so fast, Pitty Pat," Mal said, waving a finger. "This could be sold for such a pretty penny. I think I'll keep it." He slid my watch into his pocket. My eyes narrowed and I tried my best to keep my temper. _He's just messing with you like he always does... Stay calm..._

"Fine," I mumbled flatly.

"Oh, I'm so glad to hear that. Not planning on running away from me again are you, Pitty Pat?" Mal taunted. I crossed my arms.

"No," I scoffed. "Why would I do that?"

"Because you're a coward," Mal replied. I scowled. God dammit, he's seriously getting on my nerves now.

"Would a coward do this?" I spat and socked him in the jaw. Big mistake. He lifted me by my hoodie. He didn't look very amused anymore.

"That wasn't very nice," He cooed, his eyes narrowing.

"Oh boo hoo. Does it look like I care?" I retorted.

"Looks can be decieving Pitty Pat," He purred. If Mal wasn't lifting me by my hoodie I would have facepalmed myself by now. Instead, I just rolled my eyes.

"And look who's talking. I didn't run around pretending to be someone I'm not," I said bitterly. I could tell he was trying REALLY hard not to kill me, or at the very least, strangle me.

"You've got some nerve, you know that?" He growled, his other hand clenched.

"That's what cowards do!" I mockingly said. I would have imitated his tone but seriously, it's too low for my comfort levels. Surprisingly, he dropped the grip on my hoodie, but that made me feel smaller (well to be fair he is really tall and I'm shorter than him...) and less confident. Still, I kept the smug yet slightly agitated expression on my face. Mal seemed to notice Josh walking up behind him because he smirked.

"Perfect," he muttered. I raised an eyebrow. One second he's threatening to kill me and the next second he's smirking for something. Wait... I shouldn't be surprised. He is bipolar, after all. Then he did something totally uncalled for.

He tackled me, sending me crashing into the water. I heard Josh scream my name before I hit the water. _Not again! _Mal's hands locked against my neck, so there was no point in struggling. The last thing I saw was Mal's cruel and gap-toothed smile before my sight faded, and everything went black.

I'm really starting to hate that smile.

**Josh: Crystal's not dead is she? I mean she is the main character...**

**Mudkip: Maybe. Mike's personalities were pretty important and the producers killed them.**

**Josh: But you won't kill her right?**

**Mudkip: Um... Irregardless, hope you liked this chapter and the next one will be up soon!**

**-Mudkip **


	23. Gone

**New chapter! Now we can see if Crystal's alive or not! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I OBVIOUSLY own, of course (sarcasm)**

Chapter 23: Gone

**Josh's POV**

"CRYSTAL!" I screamed her name as Mal tackled her into the water. I ran towards the lake, but it was too late. The splashing had stopped, which meant Crystal was dead. No. This can't be possible!

Crystal was dead. Mal killed Crystal. Before I could stop it, tears started to fall down my cheek, more and more coming by the minute.

"Josh!" Twila yelled. "Where's Crystal?"

"She's dead..." I whispered, my voice barely audible. Twila's eyes widened in shock.

"How?" She asked.

"M-Mal drowned her..." I choked out.

"No... It can't be!" She exclaimed. But it was. Crystal was dead. There was nothing I could do about it. Why? Why did she have to die? Now I had no one. Memories of all the times we spent together, all the jokes we shared, all the video games we played together came to me.

_"Dang it! This game has water physics!"_

_"How is Sonic the same height as Mario in the game? It makes no sense!"_

_"The fight is on!"_

_"Beat ya!"_

Now she was dead. Just like that. More tears fell. Was that why she seemed so uneasy to go to the lake? She had almost drowned there years ago, thanks to Mal? Was that the case?

I just wanted to jump in the lake and search for Crystal's body, then drown myself in the process. But that was ridiculous. There would be no point.

_But she could be alive... Who knows? _The tiny bit of hope in me thought. But it was impossible. It had been at least 5 minutes, and no one could hold their breath that long.

"I'm sorry Josh..." Twila comforted.

"It's alright," I managed to get out through my tears. But it wasn't alright. Crystal was dead. Nothing should be right.

"I'm so sorry Pit... Please forgive me..." I whisper quietly to the lake.

**Ok, you didn't know if Crystal is alive or not. But I swear you'll know next chapter. So don't kill me! Hope ya liked this chapter, and the next one will be up soon! Till then, I'm gonna talk to talk to Josh, who is currently crying in a corner. See ya!**

**-Mudkip **


	24. Darkness

**New chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own**

Chapter 24: Darkness

**Crystal's POV**

Am I dead? I have to be. Mal drowned me. My eyes open, and I find myself in darkness. Is this hell? What did I do to get here? Besides the fact that I was once head over heels for the devil himself... Oh God... Josh! How is he coping with my death? But then I realize- I'm not dead. So where am I?

I sat up on my sad excuse of a bed. "How long has it been since I drowned?" I muttered, my clothes and hair slightly damp. I didn't expect anyone to answer, but the last voice I wanted to hear answered for me.

"About a day, Pitty Pat." My temper rose immediately hearing the sound of Mal's voice.

"Where am I, Mal?" I snarled.

"Why should I tell? It's not like you could tell anyone. And it's not like you're getting out," Mal replied. Even in the dark, I could see a vicious grin grow on his face. Shudders went throughout my body.

"What do you mean 'I'm not getting out'?" I growled. "My friends think I'm dead."

"Still thinking of Roselin as just a friend, hm?" Mal asked playfully. I clenched my teeth. I knew exactly where he was going.

"Don't even think about it," I snapped. If Mal was trying to get me on his side again, locking me up in a dark room is not gonna help.

"Hope you don't either," Mal cooed and did something he hadn't done in weeks- He placed his lips on mine. It was suprisingly a soft kiss. He let go and I smiled faintly, but I quickly turned it back into a scowl.

"What the hell?" I muttered angrily.

"See ya Pitty Pat," Mal said viciously and shut the door, leaving me alone. I felt like screaming. So not only did my friends think I was dead, I was locked up in the dark with no one but a murderous psychopath around. I wish life was a video game. Then next time Mal decided to stop by, I would summon a baseball bat out of nowhere and hit him in the head. While he was unconscious, I would start running and teleport the hell out of wherever I am, while eating stuff like cookies to regain health. And if Mal did try to hurt me, I'd just blast the f*ck out of him with PK fire powers (A/N: Anyone get the game I'm referencing?). But there has to be a way to get out of here.

After tons of thinking and swearing, I had come up with no good escape plans. I became a little drowsy, so I tipped the bill of my baseball cap to cover my eyes.

"Goodnight," I mumbled to myself, my voice wavering. And I fell asleep in the darkness.

Who knows when I'll see the light again.

**Well, she's not dead!**** Congrats to shinxshinx1595 for guessing correctly what would happen, even though I never asked! Hope you liked this chapter and the next one will be up soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	25. A flash

**New chapter up! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 25: A flash

Every day was a living hell. It's like solitary confinement, except a million times worse. This has gone on for, what, two days? I have no idea, because Mal took my watch, but I had slept twice so far. I was bored out of my mind, starving, and living on the very little food I got. I'm surprised I haven't broken down in tears once or gone insane.

The next time I slept, I got woken up by a flash. I bolted upright. _God, what's Mal doing now?! _I leapt out of the hard wood I was forced to sleep on, and noticed that the door was open a crack.

"What the...?" I muttered. I shrugged and opened the door. Might as well take an advantage out of it. I heard light and slow footsteps, so I decided to follow the sound. _If Mal was taking pictures of me while I slept I swear to God I'm going to f*cking KILL him! And if he wasn't... Well, I'll kill him anyways._

The sound of the footsteps were gone, so I guess the person was gone. Weird. I decided to look around for something useful, like a shower, some food, an exit, or a baseball bat. I only found a bathroom, which had a shower (look, I haven't had one in days!). I took a brief one and quickly headed out. _Now to find a way out... _This place was like a maze, so I had no idea where I was. Hopefully Mal didn't know either. But if he found out I escaped, I'd be screwed. Just my luck, I then heard heavy footsteps, and they were rushing towards my direction._  
_

Wonderful. Just wonderful. This week has been a real sucker for me. I started running like hell. Where? I don't know. Away from the evil sociopath with anti-social personality disorder (A/N: search it up if you don't know what it is), probably. My grey sneakers slammed against the ground with every fast-paced step, and my heart was pounding. It felt as if it was going to explode. What's worse, dying from an exploding heart, or dying at the hands of Mal? Unfortunately, my luck turned on me like it always does, and I tripped and fell to the ground. Fuck... My ankle! God dammit, please don't say I twisted it. It doesn't look like it, but damn, it hurts! A shadow loomed over me.

"Um... Hi?" I said as innocently as possible. Fear was building up inside of me, so it was hard to say anything. I slowly got to my feet and brushed myself off. I plastered a big smile on my face. Mal punched me in the jaw, which wiped the smile off my face.

"FUCK!" I spat. The coppery and slightly salty taste of blood filled my mouth. "What was that for?!"

"That's for escaping," He growled. My eyes narrowed. Seriously?

"You're kidding, right?" I replied. "You're the one who left the door open. That's just begging for me to leave. Plus, you took photos of me sleeping. Stalker, much?" Mal leaned in way to close to me, his lips only inches from mine.

"What are you talking about?" He asked, his voice clipped. He doesn't know?

So if he didn't cause the flash, who did?

**I second that. Who did? Well, I know the answer, but that's not important. Hope you liked this chapter, and the next one will be up soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	26. Back to the dark

**New chapter now up! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 26: Back to the dark

"What are you talking about?" Mal repeated.

"You have no idea what I'm talking about, therefore I have no authority to tell you," I responded, my arms crossed. Not the wisest thing to say, since Mal placed a knife under my chin. _Oh, this should be interesting..._

"Overkill much?" I muttered.

"Unless you want your pretty little face scarred again, you BETTER tell me what's going on," He threatened. "There's nothing you're hiding, right Pitty Pat?" I started laughing. _Gods, what am I doing? Am I trying to act tough or something? I'm probably going to get myself stabbed if I keep laughing! _

"What's so funny?" Mal growled. I took a deep breath to stop laughing.

"N-Nothing!" I exclaimed. Let's hope I don't get killed by Mal by saying this. His eyes narrowed.

"Then tell me what's going on!" He ordered. I held my hands up in showing surrender. Mal put his knife away.

"Ok, sheesh," I said coolly. "Someone, who is apparently not you, took a picture of me while I was sleeping and left the door open, so I left the room. Y'know get some fresh air." I got socked in the jaw again.

"Ow! Now what the fuck was that for?! I told you what happened!" I snapped, rubbing my newly bruised cheek.

"You should have known better than to sneak off like that!" He spat, his eyes (well, his visible eye) burning with rage, and I noticed a little bit of worry.

"So, you finally care," I muttered under my breath.

"I didn't say that," Mal said, his fist clenched. I raised an eyebrow.

"Sure sounded and looked like it." He then did the unexpected- he grabbed my arms and kissed me. _Oh, sure. This is when Mal's bipolar-ness kicks in!__  
_

"Well, thanks for that. I think I'll head back now," I said smugly and started to walk off, but Mal grabbed my wrist tightly.

"How do I know you're going to run off again?" He asked suspiciously. I grinned.

"You don't. Heck, I have no idea where I'm going either." Not the best thing to say again, because Mal gripped my wrist even tighter and started to drag me along.

"Fine. I'll take you back to your little holding cell then," Mal said. Great.

"Oh joy. Back to the dark, confined, uncomfortable space. I can't wait," I mumbled sarcastically. Mal stopped walking abruptly and shot me a _shut-the-hell-up-or-die _look. I glared at him, but I shut up anyways. He smirked and kept dragging me along. I sighed.

A bit later, Mal pushed me back into the room and shut the door. And I was alone in the darkness. Again.

"F*CK!"

**I don't care if it's Valentine's Day! These two aren't going to get along until I feel like it. :P Anyways, hope ya liked this chapter and the next one will be up soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	27. News

**New chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 27: News

**Josh's POV**

I'd like to say I handled Crystal's death well. Truth is, after I bawled my eyes out at the lake, I went into a major depression. I heard about something called a "Grief Theory" or something, and it's when you lose your friends or loved one, you go into five different stages- Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and then acceptance. Apparently that doesn't apply to me, since I basically just skipped the first three steps and headed over to depression. I probably was going to stay that way for a long time.

Anyways, I was at Starbucks drinking coffee (maybe some caffeine would help) and nibbling on a Snickers Bar (A/N: *wink* *wink* you know who you are!) when I heard fast-paced footsteps rushing towards me. It was Kisu, the Australian kid.

"*Pant* Finally found you *pant* mate!" Kisu said, catching his breath. "I've been looking all over for ya! Where've you been?"

"Um... Drinking coffee?" I answered a bit uneasily, holding up my coffee.

"She's alive!" Kisu exclaimed all of a sudden. I raised an eyebrow, anxious to know who "she" was.

"Who?" I asked, impatient for the answer.

"The shiela Crystal!" He responded. "She's alive!" I dropped my coffee.

"What?! T-That's impossible! Mal drowned her... I saw it with my own eyes..." I said, tears forming in my eyes just thinking about it. Kisu shook his head.

"You're wrong. Mal may have drowned Crystal, but she isn't dead. Mal kidnapped her," Kisu explained. Relief, fear, dismay, and worry filled me.

"How do you know? Do you have any proof?" I challenged. I wasn't gaining hope this easily.

"Well... I was spying on Mal and happened to see Crystal locked up in a room, asleep. So I took some pictures. Here." He gave me some photos that showed Crystal. Her hair was a mess, her eyes were shut tightly, and her lips were parted, so she looked like she was having a really bad dream. But she looked very well alive.

"Why would Mal do this?" I asked. Kisu shrugged.

"I dunno. Mal's weird like that," Kisu said. That's an understatement.

Panic filled me quickly. Oh no... What might Mal be doing to Crystal as I examine these photos?! I have to find her. I looked at the photos again.

"Hey, Kisu, do you know where Crystal is?" I asked. I got no answer. I looked up, and Kisu wasn't there. I looked around, but he was nowhere to be seen. Huh. I wonder where he went. But that didn't matter at the moment, because now I only had one goal.

To find Crystal and save her, no matter how hard it would be to find her.

**And that's another chapter done! Hope ya liked this one, and the next one will be up soon! **

**-Mudkip**


	28. Roommates

**Becuase I'm feeling motivated to write today, a second chapter is now up! Enjoy, readers!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Chapter 28- Roommates

**Crystal's POV**

It had been probably three days or so ever since I attempted my failed escape, and after many torturous days, I have given up trying to escape. I was stuck here, no matter what. One night (I think), I was sleeping when I heard the door slam open.

"Agh!" I yelped. I realized it was just Mal, and I sighed in annoyance. "Oh. It's you. Can I at least get a decent sleep if I'm going to be canned up in here for the rest of my life?"

"No."

I huffed. "Then tell me why you're here. Come to ridicule me again and watch me while I sleep?"

"No, I'm here to make a delivery." Mal growled and roughly tossed a bag to the ground, letting the contents inside crash into the ground.

"What's in it?" I asked suspiciously.

"Find out for yourself. Now you can go back to your precious sleep." He slammed the door, and he was gone. I lay back down and shut my eyes, going back to my "precious sleep", as Mal called it. I'll check the bag later.

...

"...tal!"

"Crystal!"

"Crystal! Wake up!"

"I'm awake! I'm awake!" I cried. I looked to the ground at the now empty bag. Huh? How is it suddenly empty?

"Glad you're awake, Sheila!" A familiar voice said.

"Kisu?!" I exclaimed. "You were in the bag?"

"Guess so," Kisu said. "Looks like we're stuck here together."

"Why would Mal lock you up? I thought you two made up!" I asked.

"Could ask the same thing to you, mate," Kisu said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked flatly. It's quite obvious why Mal locked me up- he has ASPD, is bipolar, and hates my guts because he thinks I kissed Josh. He also LOVES to see me miserable, so he might just be doing this for the heck of it.

"It means Mal still loves you." Those words hit me hard. I wanted to scream _"You're lying!" _to Kisu. Why would he still love me? People who love me don't abuse me every day.

"Um... So how did you get here?" I asked quickly to change the subject, my cheeks flushed.

"I was playing a joke on Mal and spying on him, 'till I ran into you. So I took a picture of ya while you were sleeping-" Kisu explained.

"You took the picture?" I interrupted. Kisu nodded.

"I guess that made Mal angry so he knocked me unconscious and stuffed me into the uncomfortable sack, and brought me here."

"Do my friends know I'm alive...?" I asked hopefully.

"Josh knows," He said. "I told him before I got knocked on the head. Now that I'm here, I can help you escape!" I sighed and shook my head.

"It's OK, Kisu, I'm fine," I muttered. "Besides, there is no escape."

"Have you seen yourself lately?" He asked. He took a picture of me and handed me the photo. I looked terrible, even though I'm not one to care about my looks. My hair was a mess, my skin was paler than usual, there we're dark bags under my eyes, my clothes were torn and dirty, and the blue dye in my bangs were fading, making them turn back to their original shade of black.

"So, do ya wanna stay like this or do you wanna get out?" Kisu asked.

**Ok, that's another chapter down! Hope ya liked this one, and I will update soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	29. Whoops

**New chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

Chapter 29: Whoops

BANG! BANG! BANG!

"Argh... What are you doing, Kisu?" I muttered. I was trying to catch a few Zs (because that is the only thing to do) and Kisu was making tons of noise.

"I'm trying to break the door down," Kisu explained matter-of-factly.

"Would you stop please? It's getting annoying," I asked, opening an eye.

"Don't know why you're not trying," Kisu said.

"Oh, believe me, I've tried," I mumbled drowsily, thinking of the one time I tried punching the door down. Turns out, I ended up with some bruised fingers. Luckily, they eventually healed.

"C'mon, don't fall asleep again! You're always sleeping!" Kisu complained.

"That's because 1- This is the only thing to do. 2- It should help get rid of the bags under my eyes. And 3- whenever I try to sleep, Mal always interrupts me. So I never get a decent sleep," I answered.

"Don't fall asleep, because I have a plan to escape!" Kisu said. That got my attention. I opened both of my eyes.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Look! There's an air duct that's big enough for me to climb through," Kisu pointed out.

"And?" I persisted.

"So I can climb in and escape, while you can try kicking the door down!" Kisu explained.

"And if I can't kick the door down?" I wondered.

"That doesn't matter, because then I would have escaped from the air ducts and open the door for ya," Kisu responded.

"What if you run into Mal?" I challenged. "What are you going to do then?"

"Don't worry, I can handle that dingo," Kisu replied nonchalantly. I sighed and stood up.

"All right, I'll go along with your plan," I agreed. "Be careful, though." He smiled.

"Glad to hear that, mate," Kisu said. He tore off the cover of the air vent and crawled in. This plan better work. I lifted my leg up, getting ready to break the door down, or at least kick the door.

_3...2...1... _I swung my foot. Unfortunately, the door opened and I ended up kicking the person who opened the door. Oh shoot! Please say it was Kisu!

It wasn't. It was Mal. He seemed to be unfazed by the impact of my foot to his stomach. He just looked VERY mad.

"Oh... Whoops... Heh heh..."

**That's the end to yet another chapter! Hope ya liked this one, and I'll be sure to update soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	30. Five in one

**Ok, new chapter along with a new character! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 30: Five in one

**Josh's POV**

"Twila!" I exclaimed. I had to tell her the news about Crystal! She turned to face me.

"Yeah?" She asked. I immediately told her what I knew about Crystal. Her eyes lit up with happiness.

"So Crystal's alive?" Twila replied, overjoyed.

"Yeah, Kisu told me," I said. Someone suddenly tapped me on the shoulder.

"Excuse me, did you just say the name Kisu?"

I turned around. There was a girl with yellow eyes, blue hair with yellow highlights, a blue shirt, a black skirt with leggings, and black boots with little lightning bolts on them.

"Um, yes. Why?" I answered, an eyebrow raised.

"Do you know where he is? I'm looking for him!" The girl asked. I shook my head.

"No, he just went missing," I said. The girl's eyes widened.

"WHAT?!" She cried.

"Why are you concerned? Do you know him?" I asked.

"Know him?! I live with him!" She responded. "You see, Kisu's an orphan and he lives with me and five others. He hasn't been home for a while and I'm starting to worry! When did you last see him?!"

I repeated the same things I told Twila and when I finished, I saw her eyes turn a shade of purple as she punched me in the face. "Ow!"

"You idiot!" She yelled in a different accent, I think it was Brazilian. "Mal probably kidnapped him already!"

"Mal? But I thought they made up!" I said, a bit confused. Her eyes turned into a silver color and she put on some glasses.

"Well, Mal and Kisu's quarrel can never truly be subdued," she said in a British accent. "Mal probably took Kisu so you could never find the location of him and Crystal. But you did have a special feeling for her, right? That's the reason why you're looking for her, right?" My cheeks turned a shade of red.

The girl's eyes went back to the yellow shade and she took off her glasses.

"Um... What just happened?" I asked. This day keeps on getting weirder and weirder...

"Well for starters... I have Multiple Personality Disorder," the girl answered.

"That explains a lot," I muttered.

"I'm Diamond, by the way," She said. I waved.

"I'm Josh," I responded. I pointed to Twila. "And this is Twila."

"His middle name is Roselin!" She added.

"So, who are your personalities?" I asked, wanting to change the topic immediately. "I bet they're REAL nice."

"I'm going to pretend you didn't say that," Diamond said, a bit miffed. "Anyways, the girl who punched you is Crystal, she's the tough one-"

"I think I'll just call my Crystal Pit then," I muttered.

"The one with the glasses is Puelor, she's the British smart persona," Diamond explained. "Then there's Chien, the loyal Spanish ninja, Trinity, the shy sportswoman, and Sora, the evil but girly trickster."

"Could any of your personalities help us find Crystal?" I pleaded hopefully. Probably after what I said about Diamond's personalities, she might not help us. Me and my stupid mouth!

"Hm... I guess Chien could track down Kisu," Diamond pondered aloud. She nodded. "Sure! We'll help!" Her eyes turned emerald green as she looked around and smiled.

"This way, amigos!" She said with a Spanish accent. Twila and I followed her.

"The people I meet these days..." I mumble under my breath.

**Guess who Diamond belongs to (it's shinxshinx1595)! If you read her stories (which you should) you should have known a character of hers was joining the story! Anyways, hope ya liked this chapter and the next one will be up soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	31. Slipped Words

**New chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own a thing from TD.**

Chapter 31: Slipped words

**Crystal's POV**

Mal lifted me up by my shirt with both of his hands and my eyes widened. Something tells me he didn't enjoy the kick to the gut. But seriously, did I expect him to be like _"Thanks for kicking me in the gut!" _or something?

"Weren't planning an escape, were you Pitty Pat?" Mal cooed, his voice seething with rage. Now I just have to play it cool...

"No," I said flatly. I wasn't technically lying, I was just telling the half truth. His black, visible eye narrowed even more.

"You really have some nerve, you know that?" He growled. "I hope you realize that I can kill you with my bare hands-"

"Yet you don't," I interrupt.

"Leave you scarred for life-"

"Yet you don't," I repeat.

"Or I could make your life a living hell."

"A little too late to say that, hm?" I countered. His eyes narrowed even more and I smirked._  
_

"So, what are you going to do now, _Sapphire_ (A/N: *wink*)?" I asked smugly. "I know you won't do any of that, so what are you going to do?" Hey, he's the one who's always giving smug remarks, so I thought I'd give it a whirl. By now, it looked like he really wanted to kill me.

Geez, where is Kisu when you need him? Is he lost in the air vents?

"Where is your little Aussie friend, anyways?" Mal asked suspiciously, as if he read my mind.

"You tell me," I answered stubbornly.

"Don't lie to me. You know where he is," Mal ordered.

"I actually haven't been lying this whole time. I really am wondering where Kisu is," I responded.

"Well if you haven't been lying, then tell me something that's true," Mal said, unconvinced.

"I love you." My eyes widened when I realized what I just said. _Sh*t! Out of all the things I could have said, I just had to say that! Great going, me!_

Mal smirked. "So, Pitty Pat. You regrew your old feelings for me?" I shook my head.

"No, I've had these feelings all along," I answered. _F*ck! Just stop talking altogether!_

"Really? Is that so?" Mal asked, a grin on his face. I clenched my teeth. _Don't. Say. Another. Word!_

"If it will shut you up, then yes," I snapped. _GOD DAMMIT!_ "Now if you could stop asking questions and let go of me, I'd like that." Surprisingly, he dropped the grip he had on my shirt and I raised an eyebrow. All of a sudden, a loud crash could be heard and the sound of footsteps came rushing our way. Who could it be?

"Pit!" My eyes lit up with happiness hearing that one word.

For once, something might actually go my way.

**Well, you certainly learned something today! Anyways, hope you liked this chapter and the next one will be up soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	32. Reunited

**New chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 32: Reunited

**Josh's POV**

"Well, here we are amigos!" Chien announced. It was a broken down building, but the door was boarded shut.

"Um..." Twila said blankly. "How do we get in?" Chien's (Diamond) eyes turned red, which probably meant Sora was out.

"Leave it to me!" Sora said devilishly.

I shrugged and turned to face Twila. "I hope Pit's OK..." I said wistfully.

"Me too," Twila agreed. "I just hope that-" The rest of her words were cut of by a loud crash. I looked and saw a giant hole in the wall. My eyes widened, along with my mouth gaping open.

"Holy sh*t!" I exclaimed. "What did you do?"

"I blew up the entrance," Sora explained with a sly grin. Her eyes turned a shade of blue. "N-Not the b-best idea, though," She said nervously. I'm guessing that was Trinity. Her eyes turned back into the blood red color.

"Let's just go!" She declared and ran in.

"Hey wait up!" I yelled and started running as well, Twila following me. Fortunately, we soon found her, glaring at Mal, who was glaring back at her. "Pit!" She tilted her head to look at me and her eyes lit up with joy.

"Josh?" I dashed up to her and hugged her tightly, never wanting to let go.

"I missed you," I whispered quietly.

"I missed you too. But you're kind of crushing me!" She squeaked. Sora punched Mal in the face.

"Take that ya jerk!" She yelled and started fighting Mal. Pit raised an eyebrow.

"Who's that?" Pit asked.

"That's Sora. She's one of Diamond's personalities," I answered. She still looked confused, but she nodded.

"Are you OK, though?" I wondered, a bit worried.

"A lil' hungry, but fine!" She replied cheerfully. Another crash was heard and Kisu fell to the ground... From the ceiling...

"What have I missed?" Kisu asked. He noticed Sora currently beating Mal up and threatening to drag Mal all the way to Canada where he belonged (isn't that kinda like being deported?). He grinned.

"Let me have some fun too!" He cried excitedly and joined the fight.

"So that's where he was..." Pit muttered. She smiled gratefully at me. "Thanks for coming back for me. I really appreciate it." I noticed the sad, faraway look in her eyes. I wonder what had happened while Mal held her captive...

"Pit, did something happen?" I asked.

"Don't get mad at me, but..." Her voice trailed off. I raised an eyebrow.

"But what?" I replied. She took a deep breath.

"Well... IaccidentallykickedMalinthestomachandwhenhetoldmetotellhimsomethingthatwastrueto-provethatIwasn'tlyingIaccidentallytoldhimIlovedhimthiswholetime-" She explained at sonic speed.

"Talk slower! I can't understand what you are saying!" I cried. She took another deep breath and said quietly-

"I told Mal I loved him."

"And you meant it?" I asked.

"Yes," She answered, her voice barely audible. I only brought her closer to me. How could I be mad?

"It's OK Pit," I comforted. "I still love you, but if that makes you happy..." She wrapped her arms around me.

"Thanks for understanding," Pit said. Diamond walked up to us, her eyes back to her usual yellow color, along with Kisu.

"I'm pretty sure Sora made Mal learn his lesson," Diamond said. I let go of Pit.

"Diamond, is it?" Pit asked. Diamond nodded. "Thanks, Diamond. You too, Kisu." She beamed at me.

"No problem! But you should probably head home now. We're heading back as well," She said. "I'll see you later." She and Kisu walked off. I turned to face Pit.

"C'mon, Pit," I said. "Let's take you back home, where you belong."

**That's the end to another chapter! Hope ya liked it and I'll be sure to update soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	33. Anger

**New chapter up! Sorry I haven't uploaded in a couple days. I had... Other stuff I had to do that took a while *wink*. And I was feeling lazy. Anyways, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own.**

Chapter 33: Anger

Two weeks later...

Everything eventually went back to normal. I wore a new sky blue baseball cap, re-dyed my hair to it's artificial ultramarine color, and had a new set of clothes. Everyone just presumed I had pneumonia (hey, it was the middle of fall), and I had caught up on what I had missed. No one even bothered to mention my still bruised cheek. Plus, I hadn't seen Mal in a couple weeks, which was an added bonus. Until one day when I was just sitting on my couch, reading a book and someone sat beside me.

"Long time no see, Pitty Pat," Mal purred. "I cant believe you replaced your precious little hat. After all the effort I spent trying to return it, and you just toss it away like junk." I actually had my old hat on my bedstand, but I doubt he would listen to what I had to say. Regardless, my eyes narrowed and I slammed my book shut.

"How the hell did you get in my house, much less find it?! I'm pretty sure won't even Sierra, the TD superfan knew that," I snapped. Didn't anyone feel bothered about this?!

"You told me where you lived, so getting in wasn't a problem," He answered without hesitation.

"When did I-" My face went slack, remembering the slip I gave Mal after I won, which contained my address and stuff. "Oh." He chuckled darkly and placed a hand under my chin.

"Finally remembered Pitty Pat?" He cooed softly. "Finally remember your little promise? And you wonder why I'm so mad at you." Oh God... The promise about going out with him! My cheeks flushed, but rage filled me. I pushed him away and leapt to my feet.

"Oh, you've got to be F*CKING kidding me! You made the past months a freaking hell, just because of that?! You could of asked me! But noooo! You only just made me miserable and then NOW you finally say why you're mad? You could have said it the first day you arrived!" I spat. Mal glared at me.

"Don't you dare pin this on me!" He growled. "You're the one that kissed Josh!" My eyes narrowed even more.

"That's another thing! You think I was the one who kissed him! You honestly think I was _that _stupid? Plus, you never wanted to hear MY side of the story!" I yelled.

"You don't get it, do you?" Mal asked, his black eyes flashing with anger.

"No, you don't get it!" I retorted. "You're nothing but an inconsiderate little sh*t! You should be glad that you're even alive, but you just take advantage of it and make me miserable!" I really didn't want to go that direction, but he was asking for it. Mal seemed to be taken back and a little irritated by what I said. Looks like I found Mal's sore topic.

"That got to ya, didn't it? You remember that I'm the reason you're alive?" While I said that, I jabbed my index finger to his chest. He backhanded my face, directly at the bruised part of my cheek. I winced in pain, and tears sprang in my eyes, but I refused for them to come like always.

"See what I mean?" I scoffed. "I saved you from dying, and _this _is how you treat me. You little d*ck, I despise you so much!" Mal stood up calmly, as if this whole conversation never happened.

"If that's how you feel," Mal said coolly. "Then why would you lie to your friend Roselin?" Where was he going at?

"What are you talking about? I wasn't lying," I responded, my confidence slowly fading. Mal smirked.

"So you _hate _and _love _me at the same time?" He asked. "And you call _me_ bipolar."

Oh, come on! Can this guy ever have a conversation with me and _not_ make me feel infuriated? By now, my teeth were gritting against each other, my cheeks were searing hot, and my fists were clenched. So you could say I was angry.

But for some crazy reason, I tilted my head up and pressed my lips against Mal's.

**Can't go a story without a good ol' arguement! And that's another chapter done! Hope you thought it was good, and I'll post soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	34. Don't trust him

**Ah, procastination. The effects you have on me and the rest of society. Ok, new chapter up! Enjoy, readers!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing!**

Chapter 34: Don't trust him

I kissed Mal. Why did I do that? Was I going insane from all the time I spent in the dark? Probably. Did I do it to shut him up or to make him satisfied? Maybe. Or did I want to do it so I could prove that I loved him? But why now?

I finally broke the kiss, and there was a smug smirk on Mal's face. Did he not care?

"There. Happy?" I asked bitterly, my eyes narrowed. Mal shrugged.

"I don't know, _you're _the one who kissed me," He answered smugly. Ok. That was the last straw. I gave him a (probably) painful slap in the face.

"Why don't you get it?!" I yelled, tears starting to stream down my face. "Why don't you get that I-" I stopped for a second, trying to choke back a couple more tears. I then said, my voice wavering a little-

"Why don't you get that I love you?"

I turned around and started to walk out of the house. Honestly, I didn't care about the fact that I would be leaving Mal alone in my house, I just wanted to get away from him. Before I could even get a couple steps away, he grabbed my wrist. _What now?_

"Look, I'm sorry," He said lowly. I turned my head to look at him and rolled my eyes.

"Suuure. I'll believe you when you stop calling me Pitty Pat," I mumbled. "Besides, sorry doesn't necessarily cut it." _Not even a knife cut_s _it _(A/N: See what I did there?). He tightened the grip on my wrist, making me cringe a little.

"Fine, _Crystal_. I'm sorry," He repeated, this time his voice was a little more edgier.

"Why should I trust you? First time you say sorry, you _kill_ my best friend. Second time you say sorry, you make my life a living hell. Now, you say sorry yet again. Who know what you might do next. So why should I forgive you?" I asked angrily. I tried to pry off my arm from his grip, but he refused to let go. I looked into his eyes, and I saw something I usually saw when I looked at myself in the mirror- despair.

"I'm sorry," He whispered quietly. _Don't believe him! _The little voice in my head told me. "How many times do I need to say it?" He asked, his voice louder this time.

"A million times wouldn't be enough, for all the hell you've done," I responded, my voice clipped. "Now let go of my wrist!" He did the exact opposite- He placed a tighter grip on my wrist.

"No," He growled. I swore I could hear his confidence fading. "Do you know how _long _I've been scared that-"

"Hold on," I interrupted, trying not to sound cocky or laugh. "Did I just hear that? You were _scared_? Of what?" He looked pretty irritated instead of scared to me.

"You know _exactly _why," He answered, his eyes narrowing. And I knew. He was scared that I would leave him for Josh. Why? For starters, he's a million times nicer, he actually cares, he hasn't hurt me in anyway _intentionally_, we have so much more in common, etcetera, etcetera.

"Oh. That's why," I said flatly. "Like I said, you honestly think I'm _that _stupid? You know I love you... Do you think anything would change that?"

"Yes. After everything I've done..." His voice trailed off. I didn't want to trust him, but why did I feel so guilty? I must have a LOT of morality to even consider forgiving him. I sighed. I wasn't giving in too easily.

"Give me one good reason why I should forgive you," I said, sounding a bit harsh. But Mal didn't tell it, he showed it.

He kissed me. It didn't feel like he was trying to taunt me or shut end up, it felt as if he really wanted to do this.

"Is that enough?" He asked. I took a deep breath, and I surprised myself by saying-

"... Yes."

**This chapter was harder to write than it looks. You try portraying _mercy_ on Mal!**

**Crystal: Riiiiiight. The author was just lazy.**

**Mudkip: Hmph. Anyways, hope you liked it and I'll update soon!**

**-Mudkip**


	35. Kinda Resolved

**New chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own. Shock no? ... Yeah, I think I already said that.**

Chapter 35: Kinda resolved

"... Yes." What was I saying?! Geez, maybe Josh was right. Something must be possessing me to say stuff I don't want to say. That's probably the only logical reason. I felt Mal's arms wrap around me, bringing me closer to his body. A rush of happiness filled my body. Another question- Why did I feel so happy? Argh... Life, why must you be so confusing?!

"You really mean it, Crystal." It sounded more like a demand than a question. It probably was. I nodded slowly, my tear-drenched cheek rubbing against his chest. I took a deep breath, so when I spoke, my voice wouldn't waver too much.

"Of course," I answered, trying to sound offended or at the very least calm. "Why wouldn't I?"

"I thought you might be lying again." His voice sounded saddened, not harsh and angry. It still annoyed me that he didn't completely trust me. But hey, who am I to complain? "But I guess not."

"Not this time," I said, a bit of a mischievous tone to my voice. Mal placed a hand under my chin and lifted it up so I would look up at him. Surprisingly, he wore a playful smirk on his face, instead of the cruel _I-want-you-to-die _expression he always had for the past couple months or so.

"So you've lied to me before? Pity. You used to be _so _obedient for me," Mal taunted. The tiny remains of a smile on my face immediately faded away, and it quickly turned into a frown. I pushed myself out of his arms.

"Gee, thanks for the feedback on my _riveting _personality," I mumbled sarcastically, arms crossed. "Only problem is, _I don't care_."

"It's hilarious how you have _no _sense of humor, Crystal," Mal replied. So the playful jerk is back. Wonderful.

"And it's hilarious how you have no _common sense__, _Mal," I retorted. "You just basically _assumed _I did a bunch of horrible things. And you know what they say about assume, it makes an-" My voice got cut of by Mal's hand covering my mouth.

"And I said sorry for that, Crystal," Mal growled. "And you accepted my apology." I brushed Mal's hand off.

"Ok. But that doesn't change the fact that you have no common sense," I answered, a bit dully. I got on my toes to kiss Mal's cheek. "But for some crazy reason, I love you."

**Hm... I noticed I used a lot of italics in this chapter. Again, sorry for a late update, I-**

**Crystal- Stop making excuses! You were just lazy!**

**Mudkip- Hey, I was also busy with other stuff. Anyways, this story is coming to an end soon, so the final chapter to this story will be up soon! Hope ya liked this chapter!**

**-Mudkip**


	36. In the end

**Final chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer- I don't own.**

Epilogue- A happy ending

"Josh! Twila!" I called out, dashing towards them. I gave Josh a quick hug and smiled.

"Someone's enjoying their life," Josh noted. "Let me guess- You and Mal are pitch-perfect now?" I eagerly nodded.

"Yes!" Twila cheered. "Now everything is back to normal!"

"Looks like someone got their happy ending," A familiar voice said. I turned around to see Diamond and Kisu.

"Although you made up with that dingo, he and I still have a little score to settle," Kisu added, a vicious grin on his face.

"Um... Yeah," Josh replied, a little uncomfortable by the menacing look on Kisu's face (who knew ten-year-olds could look so murderous?). "Can we still be friends, Pit? O-Or will everything get all crazy again?"

"Hm... Let's see, I just hugged you with no hesitation or fear, and I'm not pinned to any sort of solid structure at the moment, so I think it's safe to say yes," I answered. Josh hugged me tightly, lifting me off my feet.

"Yes! Yes!" He exclaimed. Overreact much? He noticed everyone staring at him for his sudden loud outbursts, and he quickly let me go, cheeks flushed.

"So, what's next for you two lovebirds?" "Diamond" asked, her eyes now a shade of pink. I raised an eyebrow and frowned. I would prefer not to be called a "lovebird". I opened my mouth to give some snarky remark but Kisu interrupted me.

"Don't mind her, she's been acting like this for quite a while," Kisu explained calmly.

"Oook..." I muttered, a little weirded out. But she has multiple personalities and I've only known her for a couple weeks, so I'm not too surprised or anything. "I think I'll be heading home now. I'll see you guys later!" I waved goodbye to the four of them and decided to head back.

_..._

I arrived back at my house, only to see Mal there as well (By now, I'm kinda used to the fact that Mal has some msterious way of getting into my house. Kinda...). I gleefully wrapped my arms around him, happy to see him (even though he has some magical way of getting into my house that I have yet to find out).

"Someone's happy," Mal teased. I gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

"Very funny," I replied a bit sarcastically. Mal didn't respond; he just wrapped his arms around me. I blushed a little (OK a lot!).

"Mal?" I asked.

"Yes, Crystal?" He replied. I wrapped my arms around him and whispered quietly-

"I love you, Mal."

And this time I mean it.

-The End-

**And they lived happily ever after (totes not cheesy). And that's the end to yet another story! And yes, I do have more stories planned! Only a couple know the plot for the next story (and by that I mean one person). But till then (and by that I mean probably tomorrow), see ya!**

**-Mudkip**


End file.
